


stolen time

by yadoiangel



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Beauxbatons Student Sakusa Kiyoomi, Durmstrang Student Aone Takanobu, Durmstrang Student Futakuchi Kenji, Everyone Loves Hinata Shouyou, Fluff, Gen, Getting Together, Gryffindor Hinata Shouyou, Gryffindor Miya Osamu, Gryffindor Oikawa Tooru, HP Typical Injuries, Hufflepuff Azumane Asahi, M/M, Minor Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Minor Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou, Pining Miya Atsumu, Slytherin Miya Atsumu, Slytherin Suna Rintarou, Supportive Miya Osamu, Triwizard Tournament, light Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26405110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yadoiangel/pseuds/yadoiangel
Summary: Here's an AtsuHina-focused oneshot of  Atsumu's fourth year and Shouyou's third year at Hogwarts when the Triwizard Tournament is held. Between tasks and other annoying events, Atsumu somehow finds time to spend with the short Gryffindor seeker he's set his heart on since he saw the ginger on a broom at the end of his third year. He just hopes Shouyou can somehow find it inhisheart to give the Slytherin beater a chance.this is my AtsuHina Exchange gift for ynaszh, I hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Miya Osamu, Hinata Shouyou & Oikawa Tooru, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Miya Atsumu & Sakusa Kiyoomi
Comments: 13
Kudos: 133
Collections: AtsuHina Exchange, atsuhina





	stolen time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ynaszh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ynaszh/gifts).



> _Very loosely_ follows the plot of Goblet of Fire, this is set in the 2010's in modern England. This is also part of a larger series that I'm working on all thanks to the prompts from ynaszh, so please be on the lookout for that!  
>    
>  prompts:  
>  \- Atsumu pining for Hinata  
>  \- Slytherin Atsumu & Gryffindor Hinata sneaking out together  
>  \- Possessive Atsumu over Hinata (in a cute way)

**_[June]_ **

“Hey ‘Samu, Hand me the cup will ya?” Atsumu asked from the entrance of the training grounds.

“Here,” Osamu held it out to him, and Atsumu let it dangle from his hands as he stared at the bored face of the Gryffindor chaser.

“Don’tcha wanna savor touchin’ it? At this rate, the Slytherin team just might sweep up the rest of the competition for three more years,” Atsumu smirked, crossing his arms in front of him.

“I’m droppin’ this if ya don’t take it in the next five seconds,” Osamu warned, and released the cup, making Atsumu scramble to catch it. The blonde clicked his tongue at Osamu while the grey haired twin just smirked at him.

“Enjoy it while it lasts, ‘Tsumu. It might be the last time ya’ll be able to gloat,” Osamu said, turning his back on Atsumu as he walked on ahead, making the Slytherin beater suspicious.

Osamu wasn’t one to boast falsely, Atsumu knew, and if their team _did_ have a contender powerful enough to rival Atsumu’s, it was time to discover them before the Slytherin team was all surprised by it.

Atsumu stood up, dusting his robes as he carried the cup in one hand, slinking in the shadows of the late afternoon sun towards where the Gryffindor team was known to train in the corner opposite that of his team’s. Before he could look around the corner, someone zipped past him at an entirely inhuman speed.

Atsumu was left blinking at thin air, processing what happened before he looked over his shoulder; there—a small, orange headed boy on a broom older than his, crows of laughter trailing behind him as he whipped past the posts in the building up and up and _up._

 _I have **got** to find out who that is, _Atsumu thought to himself.

**_[December]_ **

“Hey, Omi,” Atsumu said to the person beside him, an elbow on the table and a hand resting on his cheek, “I see ya’ve been looking at Wakatoshi. Was he the one who rejected ya?” he asked.

“You ask that as if you haven’t been the one making fun of me for being rejected by him for the last 20 minutes,” Kiyoomi deadpanned. “I see Shouyou over there laughing and dancing with Tooru. Wish you were him, huh?” he shot back.

Atsumu glared at him, but Kiyoomi just went back to staring. Atsumu sighed, giving up on his glaring in favor of staring at Shouyou too—who _was_ having fun on the floor with Tooru and Tobio. He had both of their hands in his, swirling around in a circle while the song ended, and they waited for the next one.

“We’re kinda pathetic,” Atsumu commented after a while.

“You’re the only pathetic one here,” Kiyoomi looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, “I’m _understandably_ sulking because I got rejected. Were you?” he asked in a matter-of-fact tone, leaving no room for more of Atsumu making fun of him.

“Shut yer trap, Omi,” Atsumu muttered, eyes not leaving Shouyou on the dance floor.

He was radiant, as always. He was wearing a classic tuxedo with a bright orange tie to match his hair and a smile that never left his face for the amount of time Atsumu has been staring at him this night, and the way he interacted with people was so genuine that you can’t help but be drawn to him. His participation in the Triwizard Tournament only expanded his already wide circle, and even if Atsumu had an inside person it was still hard getting close to him.

“What? I was just asking. You keep taking a shit at me but you’re the one who couldn’t even ask him out. At least I had the courage to ask Wakatoshi,” Kiyoomi pointed out, finding his chance to get back at Atsumu.

“Can ya blame me? Look at him, Omi. Tell me if I have a chance,” Atsumu pointed his chin at Shouyou, a self-deprecating smile forming on his face, “I know I’m not even worthy of him, but he’s been nothing but cordial to me,” Atsumu added, and Kiyoomi could almost see the sparkles in his eyes when he talked about the younger seeker.

He couldn’t blame Atsumu too, not that he’d ever tell the blonde that. That first task with all the champions was enough for Kiyoomi to understand what Atsumu meant—he was a person people would describe as prickly, and he knew that he was slow to warm up to people, but Shouyou bypassed all of that in just one task.

“What do you mean, worthy? What the hell kind of 50’s bullshit is that?” Kiyoomi asked with a scoff.

“Ya know what I mean, Omi. We’ve played enough games of quidditch against each other. Yer sure to have heard the _Dirty Twins,_ ” Atsumu said dismissively, his eyes still tracking Shouyou as the other moved.

“If you’re talking about that having non-magical parents thing, do you actually think Shouyou cares about all that? Isn’t he a half-blood himself?” Kiyoomi carefully asked, knowing this was a touchy subject for the blonde.

“No, I know he doesn’t. Would he be best friends with ‘Samu if he did? No, I meant me. _I_ care about all that,” Atsumu said, his face taking on a wistful air as he kept staring, though a far-away look in his eye told Kiyoomi that his mind was no longer here.

“Don’t you think that’s _his_ choice?” Kiyoomi asked after a beat, bringing Atsumu down from wherever he was.

“What?” Atsumu asked, looking around him as if to check his surroundings. Kiyoomi hid a snort behind his mask, but it wasn’t even audible in the sudden cheer from the crowd.

“I _said_ it’s not your choice whether or not _Shouyou_ would want to be with you, for whatever reason. You don’t get to decide that for him,” Kiyoomi said, exasperated with the noise.

“‘Tsumu! Havin’ fun, _nii-chan?_ ” Osamu came by their table and called out to him sarcastically, a teasing grin on his face as Rintarou laughed beside him.

“Yer still not off the hook fer him, ‘Samu! Best be ready,” Atsumu warned, pointing at the two of them.

“Charming,” Kiyoomi commented, always intrigued when it came to the twins’ interactions.

He was from an old family in Paris with roots in Japan, and with that kind of history he was never exposed to the muggle world. It made him averse to germs and to large crowds since he wasn’t used to it. Only when he came to Beauxbatons did he finally get to mingle with crowds and people that he first found unbearable, but then overtime grew on him. He especially favored quidditch and found friends through it—Atsumu was one, and Hajime was another. Wakatoshi for him was something else, but since it looked like the place he wanted in the chaser’s life was already taken, he would have to settle for being a friend as well. It wasn’t that bad, he supposed. He preferred it compared to his quiet and conservative upbringing in a small wizarding town in Lille.

“Aren’tcha tired from sitting here the whole night?” Atsumu complained, letting his head hit the table.

“I didn’t ask you to sit here with me the entire night,” Kiyoomi pointed out.

“What kind of date am I if I wasn’t obligatory?” Atsumu shot back, still in that same whiny voice that Kiyoomi only rolled his eyes at.

“Atsumu, for the love of Merlin, will you please just go to him. It wouldn’t be weird, and I’m more than capable of holding my own here,” Kiyoomi said with a shooing motion at Atsumu’s head.

“Are ya sure?” Atsumu actually pouted.

“Yes. Please. Go away,” Kiyoomi answered, all too eager to get rid of his ‘date.’

“Thanks, Omi! Yer the best!” Atsumu shouted as he shot up and bounced to the dance floor.

The night was winding down, and a lot of attendees were disappearing to do whatever else they wanted, but Shouyou was still in the middle of the crowd. Atsumu waded his way through, a smile at the ready for the orange head.

“Atsumu! How are you and Kiyoomi? Isn’t this ball fun? I’m glad I got to attend,” Shouyou told him in one breath with his never faltering bright smile that Atsumu couldn’t help but mirror.

“It was great, even though Omi didn’t wanna do anythin’ but sulk,” Atsumu said with a laugh.

“Oh? So you haven’t even danced?” Shouyou asked with a tilt to his head.

“Nah, but that’s oka—” Atsumu answered, but he was cut off by Shouyou dragging him by the arm to the front of the crowd.

“One more song please!” Shouyou told the DJ—was that professor Manabu?—as he pulled a blushing Atsumu close to him.

A slow song played, and Shouyou didn’t even hesitate to pull Atsumu’s arms around him, while he placed his own around Atsumu’s shoulders.

“Wouldn’t this look bad to Tooru?” Atsumu asked in a whisper.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Shouyou asked back, unbothered as he swayed them to the rhythm.

“I mean, yer _his_ date. Wouldn’t it look bad to him that another house’s beater has his arms around ya?” Atsumu explained patiently, already knowing how sometimes the obvious wasn’t obvious to the seeker.

“Eh? It’s not that kind of date, and if it was, he’s worse. He disappeared with Hajime a while ago, and they still haven’t returned. Besides, everyone deserves a dance at the Yule Ball,” Shouyou told him with a conspiratorial grin.

“So ya noticed him and Hajime too, huh?” Atsumu asked, a lopsided smile on his face as his heart gave a relieved stutter to know that at least Shouyou wasn't interested in Tooru.

“I think the only ones who haven’t are them,” Shouyou said with an eye roll, “Tooru still thinks he likes me.” He shook his head.

“But ya don’t anymore?” Atsumu followed up, and he just hoped the expectant tone to his voice was unnoticeable to everyone else including the person in his arms.

“Honestly? I don’t think I ever did,” Shouyou answered, that look of clarity Atsumu has only seen during matches once again entering his eyes, “I think I just mistook my feelings for him helping me during my first year in the team as infatuation.”

“And now?” Atsumu once again asked, once again hoping for a chance now that he knew Shouyou still wasn’t set on anyone.

“Gratitude. He’s a great captain and coach to me, and he’s a great friend too. It’s just that,” Shouyou shrugged off their conversation by swinging Atsumu around, catching him off guard.

“Whoa hey! Where’d ya learn how to do that?” Atsumu nervously asked, internally chanting _holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit—_

“Natsu taught me,” the other answered simply, keeping up the rhythm.

“N-Natsu?” Atsumu asked dumbly, mind and chest still reeling from the fact that he was being danced by _Shouyou_ of all people.

“Eh? You don’t know my sister?” Shouyou asked him.

“I didn’t even know ya have a sister?” Atsumu wondered in all the months secretly talking to the seeker, how could he not have known he had a sister?

“Well, ‘Samu knows. I thought you guys tell each other everything?” Shouyou teased.

“When?” Atsumu demanded, the mention of his twin withholding pertinent information about Shouyou— _How could he? He promised!_ —immediately irritating him.

“Dunno. Few weeks ago, maybe?” Shouyou was patient with the blonde's questions.

“How come I ne’er heard that news from anyone else?” Atsumu followed up.

“She's in the juniors building,” Hinata offered, and Atsumu was finally satisfied—the juniors’ buildings were kept separate from the main wings, and that made it hard for 1st and 2nd years to interact with 3rd years and above, something Hogwarts intentionally enforced since the 90’s. Atsumu now knew where to look for more information about the orange head.

“What house’s she in?” This was the first of many, _many_ questions from the blonde.

“What else? Same as me. Gryffindor,” Hinata answered as if it was common sense.

“‘Samu and I are in different houses, so I hadta ask,” Atsumu pointed out.

“Well, okay, that’s true,” Shouyou mused thoughtfully, “She’s a first year in Gryffindor, and she wants to be on the quidditch team too.” Shouyou had a proud smile on his face.

“With her big bro to coach her, she’ll make the team in no time,” Atsumu encouraged.

Shouyou only hummed, focusing on their dance. It was winding down, Atsumu could tell, and he pulled the shorter boy closer to him. He told himself to savor this, grateful that even if he wasn’t Shouyou’s date, he still got the chance to dance with him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Osamu and Rintarou dancing as well, their foreheads touching and smiling at each other. Seeing his twin’s smile made him feel impossibly fond with a bittersweet aftertaste, happy for Osamu but wondering when he’ll get that same thing his brother got, preferably with Shouyou.

It made Atsumu inhale in a deep breath and close his eyes, his senses only registering Shouyou; from his scent—incense and something spicy, something undeniably _Shouyou_ —to his touch—sure and confident, simplicity in his intentions that made him so _pure_ to Atsumu, how he directed this dance, to his presence; Atsumu was saturated by Shouyou, and he told himself to relish it.

Seeing and realizing now why Osamu was more accepting than usual of his shenanigans— _he still needs to pay for keeping Rin a secret,_ he thought to himself—it made him think of all the months changing hair color with his twin and hanging out with the orange-haired seeker.

All those months that passed, he was slowly falling further in love with him, Shouyou often only saw him as Osamu, his best friend. That was the reason why Atsumu couldn’t approach him as himself, something he couldn’t tell Kiyoomi earlier. He regretted it now, not much the time spent with Shouyou but the time he wasted in hiding behind Osamu’s relationship with the seeker and being uncertain with himself.

Being in Shouyou’s arms was something Atsumu never thought he’d get, something he thought he didn’t deserve, but with Kiyoomi's words ringing in his ears and Shouyou’s readiness to pull him there, Atsumu finally found his resolve to stop half-assing his attempts and go all out. He was a Slytherin, after all, and he's been shaming his house name for far too long.

“Atsumu, there’s something that happened tonight,” Shouyou whispered to him when the song ended before he let go of the taller.

“What is it?” Atsumu whispered back, staying close as they got out of the ball room.

“Asahi told me something. It’s about the egg. He told me to take a bath with it,” Shouyou said, clearly excited.

“Well, then! What the hell does that mean?” Atsumu said with a half smile and a laugh, making Shouyou chuckle with him.

“I'm not gonna do it tonight. Will you be there when I do?” Shouyou asked him, and Atsumu was finally aware that they were at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

“Sure, just tell me when and I’ll be there,” Atsumu promised, stepping back and walking toward Slytherin tower with a stupid grin on his face.

Time really went when he was with Shouyou, and he was glad that the shorter boy was already planning when they would hang out next. Atsumu decided then not to use Osamu again; not to use a hair color changing potion to get close to him, determined to woo Shouyou himself.

 _Everything starts tomorrow,_ he thought to himself.

**_[January]_ **

Atsumu’s head popped out of the water, panting in an effort to bring oxygen back into his lungs.

“Did ya hear what I just heard?” he gasped out, looking at the orange head in front of him.

“Myrtle,” Shouyou said to the room, looking shell shocked at what the egg sang to them, “Myrtle, are there merpeople in the Black Lake?” he asked.

Myrtle only nodded at them, then went back to her ghastly moaning, occasionally giggling whenever she looked at the two boys in the bathtub.

“I need to figure out how to breathe underwater,” Shouyou breathed out, relaxing into one side of the pool.

Two weeks after the Yule ball, and all the students were back in Hogwarts, and the champions were preparing for the second task. After two weeks of waiting, Atsumu finally had the chance to be around Shouyou again, but this wasn't quite what he had in mind. Not Shouyou’s question to take a bath with him and the egg. Not Shouyou going to him directly after his last class and whispering to meet at Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom after curfew. Not him showing up with two swim trunks and the golden egg under the invisibility cloak. And _especially_ not the bathtub that magically appeared in the middle of the bathroom.

Atsumu still went with it though, because _how could he not?_ This was _Shouyou_ asking, so of course he’d do it. If Osamu could see him stripped down to his swim trunks that the orange head had stolen from the Gryffindor chaser, blush spreading to his chest and back, he'd never let Atsumu live it down (after chewing him out for wearing his trunks, of course).

“W-what else did it say? I didn’t catch it all,” Atsumu asked him, his breathing still not quite under control as he took in his situation. He slid lower in the water in an effort to hide his blush. Atsumu could hear Myrtle giggling again, and he looked at where she was perched on the upper window.

“ _Two bros, chilling in a hot tub, five feet apart ‘cause they’re not **gay,**_ ” she singsonged at him, then went back to her giggling.

 _What the fuck,_ Atsumu thought to himself, staring at the ghost, _who the fuck taught her **that**?_

“Atsumu! Are you listening to me?” Shouyou’s impatient voice cut in on his internal panicking, and Atsumu’s head snapped back to him.

“I’m sorry, didja hear what Myrtle was singin’?” he asked, trying for a light tone, but even he could hear the strain in his voice.

“No,” Shouyou answered, then looked at Myrtle, but the ghost only giggled at them. “What was she singing?”

“Nothin’, I musta heard her wrong. Think I got water in my ears,” Atsumu excused, “What was the clue? I got the first lines, but then the last part was gibberish,” he asked, hoping for Shouyou to go along with it.

“The last part went, _An hour long you’ll have to look, and to recover what we took, but past an hour, the prospect’s black, too late, it’s gone, it won’t come back,_ ” Shouyou sang, and Atsumu was entranced.

“So ya have an hour to look fer… somethin’?” Atsumu asked distractedly, trying not to stare too much at the other.

“Yeah, something I’ll ‘sorely miss,’” Shouyou quoted, sighing as he relaxed further into the water. He was almost floating on his back, and the blonde just continued to stare, Myrtle’s giggling in the background. He was sure the ghost was laughing at how obvious he was being.

“Do ya have any idea what they’ll take?” Atsumu asked idly, looking up at the ceiling in an effort to calm himself.

“What _can_ merpeople take from me?” Shouyou asked with a laugh, uncaring, “Wouldn’t they have to, like, have legs for that?” he asked out loud.

“But maybe the committee or someone’ll steal somethin’ from ya instead?” the two of them were just bouncing ideas off of each other now.

“Then, essentially they can take anything they want from my room,” Shouyou replied, “But there’s nothing valuable much from there,” he added.

“How about yer cloak?” Atsumu suggested, looking up from the water to check on said cloak.

Shouyou did the same, and Myrtle giggled again at how ridiculous the two of them looked—legs side by side and arms spread wide on either side of the tub, heads up and looking at a heap of cloth on the ground of the bathroom.

“They _could_ take it, if they can find it,” Shouyou turned to him with a playful grin, and Atsumu let his head fall back in a laugh.

“Seems like the Gryffindor seeker has some Slytherin in him,” Atsumu commented, already knowing the secrets.

“What, like Osamu’s never shown some Slytherin? Especially during a game?” Shouyou shot back.

“Hey, I didn’t say it was a bad thing. Just nice seeing the golden boy not so golden,” Atsumu told him, the observation mollifying something in him that he chose not to examine further.

“Pfft, will you stop with the golden boy thing, Atsumu? You’re the only one who calls me that,” Shouyou scolded.

“Not true. That journalist, Enaga, called ya that too,” Atsumu said, his good mood souring at the thought of the latest article said journalist published.

“Which is why you should stop! Are you and ‘Samu still thinking about getting her back?” Shouyou asked sharply.

“Up until now I had nothin’ better to do, but y’know, out of the two of us, ‘Samu’s the one more fixated on that article,” Atsumu told him.

“What do you mean up until now?” Shouyou followed up, and Atsumu froze—as much as he could in the water, anyway.

“I mean when ya asked me to help ya with the second task. I know Kenma helped out with the first, and m’not about to lose to that pudding head,” Atsumu said, chuckling nervously.

“It’s not a competition, ‘Tsumu,” Shouyou sat up to slap at his thighs, “I’m not expecting you all to help me unprompted. That’s why I asked you here. Now get up, we’ve spent enough time here.” Shouyou prepared to get out of the tub.

Atsumu sat up as well, which was a bad idea because Shouyou was _right there_ in front of him. He inhaled sharply, staring at the shorter boy who was staring back. They sat that way in the water, eyes connected and saying nothing, and Atsumu dared to hope for a kiss, inching closer.

“ _Two bros, chilling in a hot tub, no feet apart ‘cause they **are** gay,_” Myrtle’s voice floated to them, and her giggling made Shouyou break their staring, guffawing to the side at the awful meme.

Atsumu was disappointed, looking down and seeing how red his chest was from blushing too hard.

“Someone’s gotta stop teaching Myrtle new shit,” Atsumu said with an embarrassed laugh, moving away from the seeker.

“That… actually might’ve been me,” Shouyou told him, and Atsumu whipped his head back to stare at the orange head, seeing him with an arm scratching at the back of his neck and redder than Atsumu.

“What the fuck, Sho? Why are you teaching the ghost about muggle pop culture?” Atsumu asked, this time his laugh was genuine.

“Wanted to stop her crying for a night,” Shouyou shrugged, finally getting out of the hot tub. Atsumu followed suit, reaching for his wand to dry himself.

When he got changed back into his clothes, he dried Osamu’s swim trunks with a spell as well before handing it back to Shouyou.

“Put that back where ya found it, please. I don’t want ‘Samu on my ass about clothes when we’re already in different houses,” Atsumu told him with a shake of his head, and Shouyou just laughed at the twins’ antics.

“Sure thing, ‘Tsumu. Can you help me with the breathing underwater thing?” Shouyou looked up at him with an unconscious puppy dog look, and Atsumu resisted clutching at his chest at the absolute devastation that look brought him.

“O-of course, Sho, ya know ya can always count on me,” Atsumu stuttered, nodding. _Smooth, real smooth, dumbass,_ he internally berated himself.

“Really? Thanks!” Shouyou gushed at him, then turned to go out the bathroom, “And thanks for doing this with me too,” he added with a beam, and then he went on his way, leaving Atsumu staring at the door.

“Man, you’re really in deep, huh?” Myrtle commented from her perch on the window.

“Yer officially on my shit list, Myrtle. If ya didn’t start with that chillin’ in the tub bullshit, I woulda gotten kissed by now,” Atsumu ranted at her, looking up with a glare.

“Too bad I’m already dead,” Myrtle pouted at him, then proceeded to laugh maniacally.

“If ya tell anyone else what happened here, I’ll figure out a way,” Atsumu promised confidently, an ominous smile gracing his lips, and Myrtle almost shivered at the threat in his voice.

“Bye bye now! Goodluck with the gay thing!” Myrtle lilted, and Atsumu slammed the doors to her bathroom.

As he walked back to the Slytherin tower, he was already thinking of ways someone could breathe underwater and who else could help. In his four years at Hogwarts, he’s gotten into enough shenanigans to know who best can help…

 _It’s time to pay Yuuji another visit, then,_ he thought to himself.

“Sho! I got it!” Atsumu called out to him, “Gillyweed!” he added, rushing towards the shorter from across the training grounds.

“What?” Shouyou asked laughingly, stopping next to Atsumu on his broom.

“Gillyweed. It’s supposed to let ya breathe underwater fer an hour or so,” Atsumu explained holding out a bag to him.

“Where’d you find this? I know about gillyweed, but isn’t it supposed to be native to the Mediterranean Sea?” Shouyou asked, staring at the blonde as he accepted the bag.

“Dontcha worry yer golden head. I got my sources,” Atsumu said, miming patting Shouyou on the head—and he would’ve done it too, if it weren’t for Shouyou flying off in a circle around him.

“What’s it gonna take for you to stop calling me that? I’m a redhead, not a blonde, and I don’t trust your sources!” Shouyou screamed from above him.

“What? He’s _reputable!_ ” Atsumu retorted back, grinning while watching Shouyou fly around. He wasn’t the youngest seeker since Harry Potter for nothing.

“I’m only a year younger than you, Atsumu. I know what _reputable_ means coming from your mouth!” Shouyou replied, “So tell me where you got this!” he added, this time stopping in front of Atsumu.

“Hey, ya should know me an’ ‘Samu by now, we’ve gone straight,” Atsumu said innocently, holding up both his hands at Shouyou’s raised eyebrow, “But if ya had to know, I got those from Yuuji,” he answered.

“Yuuji? You mean that Ravenclaw chaser who was banned from playing quidditch for the rest of his years at Hogwarts _precisely_ because of smuggling in stuff he shouldn’t have and selling them? And that a certain pair of twins got punished for selling alongside him?” Shouyou asked, the eyebrow going higher as he asked more questions.

“Weren’t ya still in the juniors’ buildings when that news got out? How’dja know about that?” Atsumu laughed nervously, hoping Shouyou wouldn’t bring up the nickname.

“ _Yer_ not the only one with sources,” Shouyou replied, imitating his accent which made Atsumu think his source was Osamu himself, “How much did you have to pay for this? Let me pay you back.”

“Nah, didn’t have to pay fer it, not if Yuuji still wants his black market operatin’ in the morning,” Atsumu waved him off, and Shouyou just stared at him with this focused gaze that made Atsumu feel as if the seeker could peel back his layers and see right through to the core of him. It was unsettling, if only because Atsumu wasn’t ready to be fully exposed to Shouyou.

“Well then, I’ll just have to make it up to you in other ways,” Shouyou said, indicating the bag, “Thanks, ‘Tsumu!” he added before zooming off again.

“No problem,” Atsumu said to thin air, shaking his head at himself as he made his way to the last class of the day.

The task was tomorrow, and the only reason he didn’t scold Shouyou for flying instead of preparing for it is because he knew flying _was_ the seeker’s way to calm himself and prepare. Just like for him, quidditch was the best part of the wizarding world for Shouyou—it was a sport that they both had a natural proficiency for, and the moment they entered Hogwarts, they both trained every chance they had just to get on the teams. It took Atsumu two years to get on the starting lineup and be the Slytherin team’s star beater, and it took Shouyou half that time to be the Gryffindor team’s star seeker. It was also the gateway that started Atsumu’s crush, but he wasn’t going to think about that now. His last class was with professor Manabu, and he needed all his concentration if he wanted to pass that class without cheating.

The next morning Shouyou woke up to banging on his door.

“Shouyou, wake up,” Osamu screamed on the other side. “They’re waiting fer ya at the docks already,” he added, continuing with his knocking.

“M’coming,” Shouyou mumbled, his eyes slowly opening to look at the window. He sat up straight when he saw that the sun was high up in the sky, rushing to get ready for the task that was supposed to be at dawn.

“‘Samu, what time is it?!” he screamed, and Osamu opened his door only to stare at him running around his room like someone’s headless chicken.

“About the time the challenge is gonna start,” Osamu answered drily, crossing his arms in front of himself and leaning against the door jamb, “How come ya woke up late? Yer always usually early, not to mention the second task is today,” he asked, an eyebrow rising when Shouyou appeared to look more flustered the more he talked.

“It’s nothing. I just spent too much time flying yesterday and tired myself out,” Shouyou said, snatching the gillyweed on his bedside table and hurrying past Osamu out of his room to where the docks were.

“So where’s Tooru? Is he at the docks already?” Shouyou asked, hurrying.

“No, haven’t seen him or ‘Tsumu anywhere,” Osamu answered, uncaring.

“What? Did they forget or something?” Shouyou wondered. Tooru and Atsumu had been there for him since the first task, if only to cheer him on.

“Ya think ‘Tsumu’d forget? After he threatened Yuuji for the past two weeks for the gillyweed?” Osamu asked drily, looking out of the corner of his eye to see Shouyou’s shock.

“He _what?_ ” Shouyou exclaimed, stopping to stare at the taller.

“He’d been asking Yuuji to get gillyweed in time fer the second task,” Osamu explained patiently, “Askin’ used interchangeably fer, say, threatenin’, bullyin’ and even blackmailin’ here,” he added drily, a knowing smile forming on his face as he saw Shouyou absorb this information.

“Anyway, I’m sure he’ll be there now in the stands just in time to see ya go into the lake,” he started hurrying again, and soon enough Shouyou was by his side. And if he was walking quicker than he was before at what Osamu said, well, Osamu’s kind enough not to say anything about it.

They reached the boats and rowed quickly to the stands, showing up flustered to the disapproving look of the other school’s headmasters, but a kind one from Headmaster Nekomata.

“Take your place with the other champions, Shouyou,” he said kindly, nodding his head to where Asahi, Takanobu, and Kiyoomi were already standing in their swimwear.

Shouyou took a moment to glance at the crowd of students to look for Tooru and Atsumu, but even if there were fewer students than usual due to the early hour, there were still too many such that he couldn’t see everyone in the crowd. He reluctantly lined up with the others, smiling reassuringly at Asahi’s look of concern at him. There were others crowding them now, including Professor Washijou.

“Welcome to the second task!” Gamekeeper Ukai announced in a booming voice, “Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions—a treasure of sorts. These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie at the bottom of the Black Lake.” Here Professor Washijou whispered to Shouyou, “Put that in your mouth,” nodding at the gillyweed.

“In order to win, each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface. Simple enough, except for this: they will have one hour to do so, and one hour only. After that, they’ll be on their own—no magic will save them. The task will begin at the sound of the canon,” Keishin continued, followed immediately by the canon.

The three champions beside Shouyou dove into the lake, but the seeker was struggling with the effects of the gillyweed. He felt someone push him into the water, and he was floundering, holding in his breath as he felt a ripping sensation at the sides of his neck. A few more moments passed and the feeling settled, along with the peculiar feeling of breathing—but not in the way Shouyou was used to. He kept his mouth closed, touching at the sides of his neck for the feel of water going _into_ the rips, then going out a beat later in mimicry of the way he breathed air. He realized then that he’d grown gills, and a glance at his hands showed him webbed fingers. It was easier to stay afloat now too, and a look at his feet boasted webbed toes, elongated in the way he thought mer-tails would work on two feet.

All of it felt weird to him to say the least. He knew how to swim, of course, but he far preferred flying. He had always felt suffocated underwater, not free like in the sky, but now with these changes, the suffocation wasn’t present, and swimming came easier. He tested it out, swimming in a crawl before he got the hang of the mermaid stroke, then gaining speed as he jumped out of the water to do flips before going back into it.

 _It’s just like flying,_ he thought to himself, laughing. That felt weird too, so he decided it’s best to keep his mouth closed as he swam further out, past reefs and stones and along other fish until he couldn’t hear the crowd at the stands anymore.

 _Okay, so, bottom means going down,_ he kept reminding himself as he swam, fighting the pressure as he did so. He kept popping his ears, and that’s when he heard the same voices from the egg. He looked around the waters, noting that the fish were gone now, and he was in front of some sort of wall made up of vines and leaves—where he pinpointed where the voices were coming from. Shouyou swam through them, following the voices, an uneasy feeling creeping up on his spine as the leaves surrounded him, making him feel suffocated in a different way.

He kept glancing around, making sure there was no one there with him that could hurt him, and a few spaces away he saw something that almost resembled Kiyoomi—though he couldn’t be sure. The silver of Beauxbatons was recognizable, but he was also headed towards a merpeople’s village where their silver was also distinct. He paid it no mind, conscious of the time he had, pushing forward as long as there was nothing there to stop him even if he felt like he was being watched.

As he swam further and deeper into the wall of vines, they started to taper away, cutting off midway or forming into columns seemingly at random. Here he could now see fish again, but not fish he was familiar with—these had features of multiple eyes and colors that he thought fit right in with the animals he’d seen in the Forbidden Forest and a consciousness in their eyes that he attributed the feeling of being watched earlier to. Further down he saw his first merperson; tail first, hovering in place as he looked up to where scaly skin met a humanoid torso, to a face that was looking at him cautiously. Being Shouyou, he smiled and waved at them, but the merperson only stared back impassively. He shrugged and went towards where the singing got louder.

He was looking down since he kept focusing on the bottom of the lake, but when he was sure he was where the sound originated, he only saw chains. Looking up to follow them, he shivered at the four bodies connected to those chains. Quickly he swam towards them, and here more merpeople gathered, this time watchful and distrusting. He saw Tooru first, his height and light brown hair distinguishable even under the green tint of the village, and he realized _these_ were the treasures stolen from them—their dates to the Yule Ball. He panicked and swam closer at the thought that they couldn’t breathe, not after being here since _last night_ and _oh, when he gets back to the surface, someone will absolutely get it—_

He touched a webbed hand to Tooru’s face, looking for signs that he could breathe, that he was still _alive,_ and the warmth he felt and the peaceful way the taller boy looked mollified him in the meantime. He remembered what Keishin had said— _Each champion needs only to bring their treasure back to the surface in an hour._ He looked around at the others, seeing Atsumu, Yuu, and Kenji from Durmstrang in the same position as Tooru.

Shouyou shook his head, choosing to focus on the task at hand rather than the whole lot of issues he had with this entire situation, swimming down to where the chains were tied to a cloth that was tied to Tooru’s ankles. With his webbed fingers, it was hard to unravel it, and as he struggled, there was a commotion near one of the bodies; it was near Yuu’s, and Asahi had finally shown up.

Shouyou watched as the Hufflepuff seeker took his wand from the harness at his leg and untied Yuu, and he nodded when Asahi tapped his wand against a wristwatch—a warning. He swam away with Yuu, and right there Shouyou resolved to bring back everyone he could, waiting for the other champions. He took his own wand free and aimed at the tie at Atsumu’s ankle, but a— _is that a trident?_ —was aimed at his neck by one of the merpeople.

He tried speaking, struggling with how the rush of water went to different pipes down his throat before he could work around it, finally getting out a “But he’s my friend too!” to the creature, who only pushed the sharp point of the trident deeper at his neck. More merpeople crowded him, and as he searched for a way to break free, the merpeople gasped and swam away.

Shouyou turned to look at what scared them away, eyes wide at a shark’s head connected to what looked like Takanobu’s body that was coming right at him. He gasped and dodged, just blinking as Takanobu used his mouth to shear through the cloth that tied Kenji, swimming away without another look behind him.

 _That’s two down,_ he thought, shaking himself out of the shock and quickly disintegrating the knots at Tooru’s ankle. He knew the hour was almost up now, and with Kiyoomi nowhere in sight he decided to take advantage of the merpeople’s fright and untie Atsumu before they came back.

He struggled with swimming two bodies up, only relying on his elongated webbed feet to propel them when a pack of grindylowls attacked him, biting and scratching at his skin. In a split second’s decision, he let go of the bodies he held, letting them sink as he reached for his wand again. Still being mobbed by the grindylows, Shouyou screamed out, “Relashio!” but instead of sending sparks to the creatures, it pelted them with what seemed to be a jet of boiling water.

Confused but satisfied with the effects, he quickly grabbed Tooru’s and Atsumu’s arms again, noting with slight panic that the webs on his fingers were gone. He swam in a frenzy now, feeling the gills in his neck disappear, feeling the suffocating weight of the water around him again.

Quicker than he hoped, he broke the surface, and alongside him Tooru and Atsumu were gasping for air as well, seemingly out of their stupor. He was deaf to every sound around him although he could see people on the stand closest to him were scrambling to reel them in with their wands, Hajime among them with a concerned look on his face, ready with towels.

Gratefully, he climbed out of the water, spread-eagling on the wooden floor as he closed his eyes and let out a hysterical laugh, uncaring of the looks he got. He popped his ears a few more times, feeling the trickle of water out of them and he could finally hear—the first thing that hit him was the screaming.

 _Is that Osamu?_ He thought to himself as he finally raised his head, looking around. He scrambled up when he saw Osamu had Kiyoomi into a corner, screaming right at his face.

“How fuckin’ weak are ya? Huh? Couldn’t handle a pack of grindylows, so ya just let someone die? What kinda champion is that?!” Osamu was screaming, the first time Shouyou has seen him do so.

“‘Samu! ‘Samu, chill,” the orange head got in between them, pushing Osamu back with a hand to his shoulder, “It’s hard to handle the grindylows, but I got ‘Tsumu here now, so it’s alright,” he said in a placating tone, slightly afraid of the outraged Gryffindor chaser.

“How’d ya know it’s hard to handle those things then? Ya fought them too?” Osamu asked sharply, eyes now trained on the orange head.

“I—yes, but like I said—” Shouyou was caught off-guard, stuttering an answer before he could think about it.

“Then how the fuck can you excuse that _pretty boy_ for not doing it?!” Osamu screamed at him, spitting out the words.

“Hey, bro, didn’t know ya _looooved_ me that much,” came Atsumu’s lazy drawl, and all three of them looked at him leaning on one post at the edge of the water.

Osamu stalked toward him, catching the blonde in a tight hug, his hand burying Atsumu’s face into his shoulder.

“Yer _Omi_ retired early from the task, but I didn’t think much of it until that Durmstrang dude showed up with a shark’s head and his boyfriend. With ya and Tooru gone too, I put two and two together and realized ya were his ‘treasure.’ Panicked, thought I’d have to swim down there on my own to get ya,” Osamu whispered in a rush to him, his accent mixing the words together.

“Aw, look, everyone! Osamu’s channeled all his Ravenclaw and Gryffindor fer me,” Atsumu said with a choked up laugh, his hands flailing above them and pointing to Osamu’s head, “And he ain’t _my_ Omi,” Atsumu said, softer, only meant for his twin.

He heard a click of a tongue, and that was all the warning he got before Osamu launched him back into the water. He couldn’t even be bothered; laughing freely as he splashed, the only thought in his head was _Shouyou saved me._

**_[February]_ **

“Hey, ‘Tsumu, mind changing with me on Valentines?” was what Osamu greeted him with when they met up after classes the day before said holiday.

“What fer? They don’t celebrate that here like we do, remember?” Atsumu pointed out.

“Yeah, but… well, I still wanna go do somethin’ for Rin,” Osamu said matter-of-factly, directly looking at Atsumu, daring him to say something.

“Ya think Rintarou’ll want to hang around with me?” Atsumu asked with a scoff.

“Nah, he knows. I told him right away who I was,” Osamu grinned at him, to which Atsumu only shook his head, laughing self-deprecatingly, then launching himself at his twin that Osamu dodged.

“Fuck ya, ‘Samu,” Atsumu said, “Only agreeing to do that schtick with me only to get to him,” he said as he tried again to wrestle the Gryffindor chaser.

“S’not my fault yer a stupid airhead who don’t think things through,” Osamu snickered at him, “So what’ll it be? Ya can spend the day with Shouyou, even,” he asked again, an eyebrow rising as he knew how tempting that was for the blonde.

“Y’know what I think?” Atsumu started, a thoughtful look on his face as he gave up on rough-housing with Osamu, “I think it’s high time I stop usin’ ya as an excuse to get close to him and just ask him, straight out,” he finished, looking at his twin, waiting for an answer. It came in the form of Osamu’s laughter, and Atsumu had the feeling he was laughing _at_ him and not with him.

“Yer a real piece o’ work, y’know that, ‘Tsumu? That’s the same shit I told ya when ya wanted to start this hair changing scheme, and now ya wanna come clean?” Osamu wheezed out, and Atsumu mimed kicking his head where he was bent over.

“What? I just think I’m gettin’ nowhere with this, y’know? First it was Kenma, then it was Tooru. I gotta do somethin’ so he’ll focus on _me._ How else will I do that if I’m runnin’ around him as you?” Atsumu ranted at him.

“So are ya over that whole yer not worthy of him bullshit?” Osamu asked deceptively light, but his eyes were sharp as he stared at his brother.

“Dunno. Don’t wanna think about all that, I just wanna go fer it,” Atsumu waved him off, but Osamu could see the hope in him.

“Okay, then go fer it. I’ll tell him to meet you tomorrow at the training grounds,” Osamu nodded at him before splitting off.

Atsumu took in a deep breath, hoping this would work.

“Hi, ‘Tsumu!” Shouyou greeted him the next afternoon, as cheerful as ever.

“Hey, Sho,” Atsumu smiled at him, picking up his broom, “Thought ya’d wanna train with me,” he added, expectant.

“That’s what ‘Samu said. Why though? There’s no season right now,” Shoyou asked with a tilt to his forehead even though he had his own broom at the ready.

“What, like that stopped ya before?” Atsumu asked laughingly, positioning his broom under him and taking off, calling out to Shouyou behind him, “C’mon! I wanna see the famous Gryffindor seeker turned Triwizard champion at his best, an’ beat him!”

Shouyou only shook his head at the blonde, mounting the broom that Kenma gave him for the first challenge and flying off, catching up to him in no time.

“Follow me!” Shouyou shouted to him, a grin forming on his face and that glint in his eyes that told Atsumu he’s now riding alongside a terrifying seeker known for his speed and intelligence in the air.

“Where are we goin’?” Atsumu shouted after him, a thrill going through him at the thought of chasing the other.

“You’ll see!” was all Shouyou answered. He sped up, expertly navigating through the castle’s multiple spires up and up, higher than Atsumu’s ever gone. He appraised Shouyou’s steel nerves once again as he risked a glance out of the corner of his eye to the fields spreading below them, momentarily feeling vertigo as he realized just how high they were now, and still Shouyou kept going.

“Yo, Sho, yer not plannin’ on goin’ to heaven, are ya?” Atsumu called out, a nervous note in his voice.

“I don’t think they’ll accept us like this!” He had the _nerve_ to joke, “But we’re almost there, you scaredy cat!” he added, and Atsumu scoffed, pushing his own broom so he’d be side by side with the seeker.

“Who’re ya callin’ a scaredy cat, huh?” Atsumu demanded, turning to look at Shouyou which was a _mistake._

In the air like this, the wind whipping his already unruly orange hair back from his face, a smile that Atsumu could only describe as _free_ wide on his face, the blur of Hogwarts’ green grounds behind him—the sight was mesmerizing, something that made Atsumu realize how much _in love_ he was with Shouyou.

In the air like this, Atsumu finally admitted it to himself—he was in love with Shouyou and maybe has been ever since he first saw the shorter and was just in denial of it.

“Here!” Shouyou called, hovering over the farthest spire from the ground, gesturing for Atsumu to land on it.

“What d’ya mean, _here?_ ” Atsumu asked disbelievingly, “There’s no _here_ to land on,” he added, gesturing to the steeply sloped brick roof Shouyou indicated.

“‘Course there is, yer just a scaredy cat like I said,” Shouyou answered, once again copying his accent.

He stood up on his broom, and Atsumu flew closer to him just in case he fell, even though he’s never known Shouyou to be anything less than sure-footed on it. With a glance and a grin at him, the seeker jumped from his broom, giving Atsumu a mini heart attack.

“What _the fuck—_ ” Atsumu started to say, drawing up to catch him, but Shouyou landed right on the edge, as graceful as a cat.

“See, ‘Tsumu? It’s good! Come sit,” Shouyou invited him with a pat on the spot next to him, leaning back and dangling his legs over 700 feet off the ground.

“Sho, one of these days yer recklessness will kill someone, and I think it’ll be me, and I’m sayin’ this as a Slytherin,” Atsumu muttered, but he still took the leap from his broom to the roof. It was a terrifying split second in midair, then Shouyou was catching him.

“Not so bad, right?” the seeker asked.

“M’gonna puke,” Atsumu mumbled, holding his stomach in while also covering his mouth.

Shouyou only laughed, brushing a soothing palm down his back until Atsumu didn’t look as green as before.

“Why here?” Atsumu asked after he recovered, leaning back and looking up at the sky, “Wasn’t this the spire that dragon you fought in that first task destroyed?” he added, only just remembering.

“Okay, first, I didn’t fight that Hungarian Horntail, I ran from it. Second, yes, but that’s not what this place is for me,” Shouyou slapped at his arm, “I’ve been here before, that’s why when I was running away I subconsciously went here,” he explained, looking out at the view.

“Oh? What’s this place then?” Atsumu asked, content to look at Shouyou and maybe he wasn’t ready to look out at all that open space so high in the sky, but he wasn’t going to admit that out loud.

“This was the first place I went to when I learned how to fly,” Shouyou replied, looking thoughtful. “Back when I was a first year. I got on, and I just felt the urge to fly and fly and fly until I was up there,” he pointed up right above them, “And I felt like I could breathe again. I was missing home so much, and that was the first time the thought of my sister and my mother didn’t hurt as much as it did before,” he finished.

“Wow, didn’t expect that,” Atsumu commented drily, trying to lighten up the mood, “Maybe that’s why I’ve never tried flying so high. I was never homesick ‘cause I had ‘Samu here.”

“Yeah, it’s just when I got up here it was like I could see my house from here, and that might be a little weird but it helped. A lot,” Shouyou explained, “And I’m gonna tell him you said that,” Shouyou added with a smirk, looking out of the corner of his eye to see Atsumu sputter.

“Do it, and m’gonna kick ya off this roof,” Atsumu threatened, bringing up a leg to mime the kicking.

“For any other student, that’d be a threat,” Shouyou pointed out, scooting away from him with his renowned quickness.

“It still is,” Atsumu scoffed at him, not daring to move from his perch.

“Little ol’ you? Kick off little ol’ me off this roof?” Shouyou said, putting on an exaggerated American southern belle accent and batting his eyelashes at the blonde, “Would you that to me, ‘Tsumu?” he pouted, and see—here he was, hand at his chest, head bowed a bit to emphasize his long lashes and pouted lips with that breathtaking background behind him, and with the realization that hit Atsumu earlier, he couldn’t help but clutch at his own chest at the sight.

“That’s unfair, Sho,” Atsumu answered hoarsely, massaging at the spot above his heart, “Ya can’t do that to a guy, not on Valentine’s Day,” he added absent-mindedly, averting his gaze.

“Is that why you asked to meet me?” Shouyou asked sharply.

“What?” the seeker’s tone brought Atsumu down, blinking at Shouyou’s amused smile.

“Valentine’s Day, ‘Tsumu? Thought you’d be above that,” Shouyou commented, teasing.

“W-wha…?” Atsumu asked intelligently.

“Is this a date, Atsumu?” Shouyou asked straight out, sidling up to him now, getting right in his face. He was blushing, but he still had that amused-turned-confident smile on his face, and it was decidedly _too much_ for Atsumu; he pushed Shouyou’s face away with a palm, panicked.

“Woah, Sho, I told ya I might die ‘cause of ya,” Atsumu said in a rush, eyes wide and breathing hard.

“‘Tsumu, mind if you don’t almost push me off the roof?” Shouyou asked drily, holding on to the blonde’s wrist, which brought Atsumu’s attention that Shouyou was half in his lap, half leaning over the roof because of his hand in the orange head’s face. 

“Jesus m’sorry,” Atsumu muttered, lowering his hand to grab at the shorter’s collar to pull him back, once again putting their faces close to each other.

“You still haven’t answered my question though,” Shouyou murmured, and Atsumu could _feel_ his breath against his own mouth; it made the Slytherin beater gulp.

“W-what would ya say if it was?” Atsumu asked nervously, eyeing the smirk that was still playing around on Shouyou’s lips.

“Well, I’ll say this was a good start, but I like being _informed_ first, ‘Tsumu,” Shouyou continued in that same tone, eyes locked on his, “How about I bring you to my other secret place here?” he asked, voice low and inviting.

“Y-yeah?” Atsumu answered though it sounded more like a question.

“Great!” Shouyou was suddenly off of him, standing right on the edge once again, “Meet me at behind Keishin’s cabin at 11, I wanna show you something in the Forbidden Forest,” he said, hopping right back on his broom then flying away, leaving a dazed Atsumu sitting open-mouthed 700 feet high up off the ground, in more ways than one.

“How is this a date, Shouyou?” Atsumu asked as he met up with the orange head right where he said to meet like he’s not already whipped for the shorter boy.

“Because I asked you out,” Shouyou teasingly answered, wrapping an arm around Atsumu’s middle and play-punching him in the ribs, “Not like you using Osamu to tell me to meet you at the training grounds? How weak is that, ‘Tsumu?” he continued ribbing, his carefree laugh ringing in the quiet of the dark field.

“Ya really know how to make it romantic, huh?” Atsumu drily commented, half-heartedly trying to shrug off Shouyou’s arms. It felt nice, after all.

“Again, like you did?” Shouyou intoned, making Atsumu groan. He got the feeling the seeker won’t let him live that down any time soon.

“Tell me what we’re doin’ here?” Atsumu ~~begged~~ asked, trying to change the topic.

“I told you, you’ll see!” Shouyou said with a wink before heading for the forest, not even looking behind him to see if Atsumu was following.

 _Keep it together, Atsumu, damn. He’s almost a whole year younger than you but you’re acting like a blushing first year,_ the blonde only shook his head at himself, going after the seeker. In all fairness though, Shouyou had never acted as playful as he was now with Atsumu before this, and the beater could only just hope that it was an indication of Shouyou’s growing interest in him.

“Okay, but mind tellin’ me why yer so familiar with the forest?” Atsumu asked after he saw how Shouyou navigated the forest floor, staying close since he didn’t know much about the place, but it looked like the orange head did.

“Maybe because I am?” Shouyou shot back, going deeper into the woods with his wand held up high for light.

“Yeah, but I’m askin’ how that happened,” Atsumu replied, trying to see where he was stepping in, but it was hard even with the light of his own wand; the crawling roots from the trees too twisted to anticipate.

“I like exploring. By the end of my second year I’d been everywhere around Hogwarts, including the chamber of secrets. Sometimes I need the quiet, and no place was silent enough for me until I came here. The animals and creatures and plants are something else too,” Shouyou said, excitement coloring his voice and affecting Atsumu as well, though at the mention of creatures of the Forbidden Forest, he got a little apprehensive.

“What do ya mean, somethin’ else? We’re not gonna get attacked here, right?” Atsumu asked nervously, now looking around them and feeling eyes on their backs.

“Oh nah, they won’t do that. I’m friends with most of them here,” Shouyou answered, nonchalant.

“Most of them?” Atsumu followed up, brows furrowed when he noticed the distance between him the seeker was getting wider by the second, Shouyou speeding up in his excitement. He rushed his pace too, not wanting to be left behind.

“Well, yeah! I can’t be friends with everyone here, you know. But no one’ll bother us as long as we don’t bother them,” Shouyou said, suddenly stopping in front of a lake that seemingly sprang up in front of them. He held up a hand to catch Atsumu at the chest when the taller boy came running towards him.

“Like what creatures, exactly?” Atsumu asked, a note of panic in his voice. _I only have my wand, and even then I don’t know many combat spells—_

“Chill, ‘Tsumu. We’re here,” Shouyou said quietly, concentrating on the lake.

“And we’re here because…?” Atsumu let the question hang between them, looking around to check that they were indeed alone before looking at where Shouyou was staring.

Instead of answering, Shouyou startled Atsumu by taking his hand and entwining their fingers, pulling him along to go to the banks of the water surface. The way the seeker secured their hands together had Atsumu’s heart beating out of his chest, focusing on the sensation of the smaller hand in his—warm and sure-gripped, and holding on tighter, never wanting to let go.

They got to the lakefront. Atsumu was surprised to find there were flowering plants scattered all along the shore, their pollen rising to eye level and having a quality Atsumu could only call _magical_ to them. Atsumu could recognize some of them—there were _Angel’s Trumpets, Red Flare Water Lilies,_ and _Evening Primroses,_ others not so much—but most of these still had some feature twisted by magic.

“We’re here because I wanted you to see this,” Shouyou nodded to the flowers closest to them—two unrecognizable white colored ones—still staring. Atsumu followed suit, still a little bit confused but ready to go along with it.

“What am I staring at?” Atsumu asked, his hand tingling in the seeker’s.

“That one’s called _Queen of the Night,_ and the other is a _Dragonfruit Cactus,_ ” Shouyou answered, squeezing Atsumu’s hand, “Watch closely. It’ll be any minute now,” he added.

Silence permeated then, with Atsumu holding his breath in anticipation and Shouyou’s quiet expectation. Everything was still, and Atsumu thought back to how much time has passed since they met up, estimating that it’s about midnight now which gave him an inkling of what they’re waiting for.

A couple more minutes passed, and something shifted in the air around them—something so minute that if it weren’t for their stillness they wouldn’t have been noticeable at all: the flowers began to bloom. Atsumu gasped, and Shouyou once again tightened his hold on the taller’s hand, grinning up at Atsumu for a moment before turning back to watch the flowers again.

“ _Queen of the Night_ only blooms once every couple of years, and the _Dragonfruit Cactus_ blooms only to die the next morning. I kinda had an idea they’d be blooming tonight. Look, ‘Tsumu, aren’t they amazing?” Shouyou rambled, his voice captivated.

Atsumu couldn’t even answer, only nodding his head as he watched. The first flower had sharp petals that spread out, pollen scattering in a wide arc around it, the shine from the magic the only thing lighting up the colors and _oh_ was it hypnotizing; combine with it the other beauty of the _Dragonfruit Cactus_ that had walls so high around a hollow center that gave off a compact kind of allure; both were enough to absorb all of the blonde’s attention that he didn’t see when Shouyou brought out his wand.

“ _Expecto Patronum!_ ” came the seeker’s voice which startled Atsumu out of his trance, turning wide eyes to Shouyou’s mischievous ones, “Look.” Shouyou nodded to where he pointed the spell.

Above the surface of the lake was a fully formed squirrel in silvery white mist running around, going as far as to run _towards_ them, sniffing at their feet before running off again, this time around the flowers. It gave the wonder of their situation a more whimsical aspect.

“I knew ya could cast a patronus, but that’s still amazing, Sho,” Atsumu breathed out, staring now at the delight that was before them.

“I’ve been practicing, and now I can hold it for up to five minutes now,” Shouyou boasted with a satisfied smile as he looked on, sitting on his haunches with the arm holding his wand over his knee and the other still in Atsumu’s hand. The blonde watched, a tender smile forming on his face, an idea forming in his mind.

“Watch this, Sho,” Atsumu said, bending down to place a quick kiss on the back of the palm he’s holding before letting go and taking out his own wand.

“ _Amato Animo Animato Animagus_ ,” he chanted with the wand to his heart, and then he started to transform.

This time it was Shouyou’s turn to look shocked, staring at Atsumu as he first dropped to all fours, then shrinking to something the seeker thought was a wolf at first, but the bright yellow fur that showed which matched Atsumu’s dyed blonde locks gave more of a fox feel to the animagus. When the transformation was done, Shouyou could tell he was right—Atsumu’s animagus form was a muted golden fox.

The fox shook out of the clothes, taking almost experimental steps towards Shouyou and sniffing before he ran around him with a wagging tail like a dog, then taking off and going after the patronus amongst the flowers. It made Shouyou laugh out loud, watching as the two chased each other around. It was hilarious, and everything about it—the animagus, the fact that it was a fox, the running around to impress—was so fundamentally _Atsumu_ that it made Shouyou’s heart soft to see, falling a little bit in love with the Slytherin beater.

The fox chased the continuously dissipating squirrel around the flowers, being careful not to trample them. On one of its leaps in an attempt to catch it, the squirrel only disappeared into thin air, confusing the fox, making it look around with a decidedly dejected mien that Shouyou couldn’t help but call out to him.

“‘Tsumu! I told you it’ll only last for five minutes. Now come back here! We need to get back,” the seeker raised his voice enough to carry over to where he was, and the fox—Atsumu—bounded towards him, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

“Change back,” Shouyou commanded when Atsumu just stared up at him.

Atsumu went to where his clothes were, but still he only stared at Shouyou expectantly. They stayed like that for a bit, Shouyou’s hazel eyes to Atsumu’s now brighter golden ones until the orange head realized what Atsumu wanted him to do. He blushed, then promptly turned his back.

“Right, I forgot not all animagi can transform with their clothes,” Shouyou said to himself, his confidence from before fading fast with his thoughts flying in different directions; all he could hear was a vague whine that he took as a reply, followed by rustling.

“Alright, that’s more than enough time. I’m gonna turn around, and you better be human,” Shouyou said when he was sure Atsumu was back to normal, then started turning. Before he could move much though, a hand caught his, and he was pulled into a spin that only the dance lessons with Natsu ensured he wouldn’t fall.

The first thing that he saw was Atsumu’s grinning face when he stopped circling, the blonde’s other hand wrapping around his waist and pulling him closer; he noticed that Atsumu was breathing hard, general signs of nervousness in the twitch of his eyebrows and the way his arms were trembling slightly—it told him what would happen next.

“M’gonna kiss you now,” Atsumu whispered, staring at him for a beat to see that Shouyou understood before leaning down and finally, _finally_ touching their lips together.

Shouyou sighed into the kiss. He had been expecting this, could go so much to say as he’d been wanting it. Ever since the second task, Atsumu’s made it obvious enough, even if he thought he wasn’t, and now that the confusion over three people has resolved itself for Shouyou, the seeker could finally understand himself better—enough to know what he wanted, enough to go after it.

 _I’m really kissing him now,_ Atsumu had to keep reminding himself even as he was kissing Shouyou; it was surreal really—just having successfully transformed into his animagus for the fourth time and back, along with the knowledge that today had been a resounding success for a Valentine’s date even if the plans didn’t come from him—Atsumu couldn’t help himself, couldn’t hold himself back from taking the shorter boy into his arms in happiness, didn’t want to hold himself back from kissing like he’d been wanting to for the past six months.

The kiss was a tentative thing; a soft, hesitant one for the first before Atsumu started planting short, barely there kisses against Shouyou’s lips; this was a new thing—something that made them want to cherish and protect it at much as they could, and the sweetness of the whole moment was enough to them for now, not wanting more.

“We really do need to get back, though,” Shouyou murmured against the blonde’s lips after he felt like he could handle standing up.

Atsumu sighed, planting a few more kisses before lifting his head just enough that they could properly look at each other. Shouyou was smiling at him, something different this time—something he hasn’t seen before. It thrilled Atsumu, knowing he was the one to put _that_ smile on his face.

“Hey, yer the one who wanted to come out here,” Atsumu pointed out softly, not wanting to go yet.

“So should I have not?” Shouyou asked with a raised eyebrow and a challenge, knowing Atsumu wouldn’t rise to it.

“Not sayin’ that. Just that it’ll be yer fault if we get caught,” Atsumu shot back.

“If we get caught, I’m revoking your Slytherin card,” Shouyou teased, pulling his body away from Atsumu, though he left a hand in the beater’s larger onex.

“Ya can’t do that. S’not yers to revoke,” Atsumu replied, content to let the orange head lead the way back.

“Oh yeah I forgot to ask—when the hell did you become an animagus?” Shouyou asked, looking back at him with an impressed face, still walking.

“I read about it back when I was a first year, about the Marauders. I got ‘Samu into it too, but it’s only been workin’ this year. That was just my fourth time trying to transform. It’s nice it worked,” Atsumu said thoughtfully, but he got a smack at his arm from the shorter.

“You mean to tell me you weren’t sure if it’ll work?! And you still tried to do it in the middle of the night in the Forbidden Fucking Forest with only me, and you didn’t think to warn me?!” Shouyou demanded, panicking all up in the blonde’s face.

“Woah, ya can relax there, little firecracker. I was about 90% sure I could do it y’know, no need to worry,” Atsumu replied, holding his hands up in front of him, a grin still on his face.

“Still, at least warn me next time, ‘Tsumu,” Shouyou was annoyed, which only widened Atsumu grin. He snaked an arm around his waist, once again pulling him close.

“Aw, is my Shouyou worried?” Atsumu asked with that signature smirk.

“Oh, no,” Shouyou groaned, trying to get out of Atsumu’s hold—which the beater did.

“What? Why ‘oh no’?” Atsumu asked, a furrow to his brows as he watched Shouyou distance himself.

“Don’t do that,” Shouyou replied, pointing at him.

“Do what?” the blonde scoffed out, “Ya don’t like it?” he added, a little bit hurt.

“No, not that, you tool. ‘Samu said something about this… You don’t get to act all confident and and… and _smooth_ now that you got to kiss me,” Shouyou complained, “You were a mess. You don’t get to be like that now,” he pouted.

“What are you talking about?” Atsumu laughingly asked, moving closer to him.

“You called me yours! That isn’t fair!” Shouyou whined, stomping his feet.

“Oh, ya liked it _too much_ ,” Atsumu’s smirk was back, hugging Shouyou again, “And I can do what I want, Sho, that’s my thing,” Atsumu added, trying to be smooth only to have the seeker laugh in his face.

“‘Tsumu, your _thing_ is being ridiculous to the point of it being endearing,” Shouyou told him, standing on his toes to leave a quick kiss on Atsumu’s cheek before turning around and continuing their trek back to the castle, “And this is about the time the hunt begins, so we gotta get out of the forest if you don’t wanna be part of it,” he added.

“Well why didn’tcha say so in the first place? I’mma race ya,” Atsumu challenged, running ahead.

“Run and they’ll chase you,” Shouyou called out, and Atsumu could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Yeah maybe you should lead the way,” Atsumu waited for him to catch up, looking around himself to check that there were no creatures close.

“What did I say? Ridiculous,” Shouyou said as he passed the blonde, shaking his head but still had an endeared smile on his face.

 _Huh, guess that works?_ the beater thought to himself, feeling embarrassed to have been called out so simply by the seeker. It was a comfort though, to have Shouyou see him for him and still want him. It made Atsumu feel secure, made him tighten his hold on the other’s hand as they snuck around to get to their respective dorms.

**_[April]_ **

“Rin, wanna come to ours for Easter break?” Osamu asked as he, Shouyou and Tooru walked up to the Slytherin table during breakfast.

“Hello to you too, _otouto_ ,” Atsumu said sarcastically from the other side of the table.

“Shut up, ‘Tsumu,” Osamu said dismissively, sitting down next to Rintarou to talk.

“Hi, ‘Tsumu!” the ginger came bounding up to the blonde, “What are we gonna do today?” he asked.

“Can I exchange you for my brother?” Atsumu asked him sarcastically.

“Why though? If I was your twin, then we wouldn’t be able to mphf—” Shouyou started, but Atsumu was just in time to cover his mouth. Still, Tooru heard and started laughing uproariously.

“We don’t say those things out loud, Sho,” Atsumu hissed, “Especially not in the great hall with my brother _across from us,_ ” he added, distressed.

“Please, Shouyou’s got no filter whatsoever. Ya don’t know how many times he’s told me shit I didn’t need or want t’know about ya,” Osamu shuddered, making Rintarou laugh out loud. It was still a sight for everyone, the usually stoic and rather terrifying beater’s face being so open.

“Sho?!” Atsumu was scandalized, looking at the seeker with shocked eyes.

“Ya can blame Tooru over here,” Osamu pointed his thumb at the brunette who was still laughing, “He’s the one who started teaching him shit,” he added.

“What? I tell Natsu everything,” Shouyou pointed out with a shrug, uncaring.

“Wha—? Why the hell would ya tell yer _little sister_ about us?!” Atsumu was sputtering, and now Osamu was laughing along with the other two.

“You don’t want my little sister to know about you?” Shouyou asked, his head tilted in confusion as he looked up at the blonde.

“No I’m not sayin’ that just… keep it PG, babe,” Atsumu said, then proceeded to hit his head on the table.

“Oh, that? Of course I won’t tell Natsu that! What do you take me for, ‘Tsumu?” Shouyou demanded, making the beater look up.

“Wha—? But ‘Samu said—” Atsumu started.

“‘Tsumu, go get yer brain checked. Yer being stupid more than usual,” Osamu scolded laughingly, “I said he tries to tell _me_ everything, not Natsu. Are ya sure ya want that one, Sho?” Osamu asked the seeker, turning his thumb at his twin.

“Fuck ya, ‘Samu,” Atsumu flipped him off, reaching for a bread roll to throw at the chaser, only to have it caught by Rintarou.

“Unfortunately,” Shouyou said drily, which made Atsumu go back to hitting his head on the table.

“So what’ll it be, Rin?” Atsumu could hear Osamu ask.

“Sure. It’s always fights at my place anyway,” the eye roll was in Rintarou’s tone as well.

“‘Tsumu, aren’t you gonna ask me to go too?” Shouyou pouted at the blonde and once again Atsumu lifted his head.

“Actually, I wasn’t. I know how much ya miss yer mom,” Atsumu told him with narrowed eyes, daring the other to protest. Before he could though, the Triwizard council entered the great hall.

“Attention, champions!” Professor Manabu announced as he strode down the middle aisle, “It’s time to announce the third and final task!”

“Oh, this will be fun,” Shouyou whispered from beside Atsumu sarcastically, and the blonde turned a raised eyebrow at him but stayed silent.

“In two months’ time, our champions will compete for the Triwizard Cup itself. As of today, Keishin has started growing hedge walls on the training grounds that will rise up to twenty feet, forming a maze. There will be several magical obstacles within the maze to hinder their search for the Triwizard Cup, which is to be placed in the center. The first champion to touch the Triwizard Cup will receive full marks for the task. The champions will enter the maze in points order: Shouyou and Asahi will enter the maze first, followed by Takanobu, and finally Kiyoomi,” Professor Manabu said, nodding to each champion in turn, “Keishin, myself, Professor Washijou and Headmaster Takeda will patrol the outside of the maze during the task, ready to help if any of the champions get into difficulty and wish to be rescued. Good luck, and train hard, champions,” he finished before sitting down to eat as well.

“They could stand to be more specific about what those _magical obstacles_ would be,” Shouyou muttered under his breath, “Anyone wanna help me train?” he asked the general vicinity of the table, slouching down on the table the way Atsumu was a few seconds before.

“I can help you, although I don’t know how much it’ll _actually_ help,” Kenma said from a few seats down, non-committal, looking down at the handheld in his lap as usual.

“That’s actually a good idea! Kenma was a scary beater before he switched to being a scary seeker,” Atsumu nodded, standing up and positioning himself behind Shouyou to massage his shoulders.

“Scarier than Rin-chan over here?” Tooru asked around a laugh.

“I think they’re two different kinds of scary,” Tetsurou butted in from beside the Slytherin seeker, “Kenma’s the strategic kind of scary while Rintarou’s just good at getting you to piss your pants, y’know… scaring people outright,” he explained, waving his hands around his teammates.

“Yeah, we got that, Tetsu, thanks,” Osamu said drily, patting Rintarou’s back comfortingly.

“D’ya really need to train during Easter break though? I mean, it’s a break fer a reason,” Atsumu pointed out, leaning over Shouyou’s head to look at his face upside down.

“You heard professor Manabu. Even if I’ve got more experience with magical obstacles more than anyone else at Hogwarts,”—Rintarou snorted here, but Atsumu glared at him with the same glare he uses during a game to get him under control—“I still gotta train. Most of the time when I get into danger, I just get by with a lot of nerves and quick thinking… But it’ll be nice to actually anticipate things for once,” Shouyou pouted, and Atsumu wanted to make him feel better.

“How about this, ya go home for the rest of April and spend some time with yer family, then in the two weeks break in May, I’ll help ya train. Kenma’ll come to ours, right?” Atsumu looked up to ask Kenma the question, which he just made a face at, but the beater took it as confirmation; he knew Kenma would enjoy it too.

“Are you sure?” Shouyou looked up to him with a frown and furrowed brows—he was worried, Atsumu could see—and the blonde just nodded at him.

“‘Course I am. Plus, I want ya to come,” Atsumu said simply.

“Ah, to be able to easily make plans with your boyfriend,” Tooru sighed, and the whole table just stared at him.

“Aren’tcha and Hajime childhood friends?” Atsumu asked him.

“And your point is?” Tooru answered, confused.

“The reason why you can’t make plans with him like this is either because you two don’t even need to make plans, or because you’re at each other’s throats—snogging or fighting, sometimes I can’t even tell,” Shouyou said from the table, making everyone snicker, Tetsurou louder than most.

“I think I taught you too much,” Tooru said, blinking at the orange head.

“Oi, ya realize we still got just one bunk bed back home, right?” Osamu pointed out to Atsumu then.

“Ya didn’t think about that when ya invited Rin?” Atsumu asked with a raised eyebrow, challenging. He was still massaging Shouyou’s shoulders though, so it wasn’t that intimidating, especially to his twin.

“I invited Rin ‘cause I thought ya weren’t gonna invite Sho—you know what? Whatever. Yer brain just gets stupider the more time you spend around him anyway,” Osamu cut himself off, turning towards Rintarou.

“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?” Atsumu demanded, making Shouyou giggle, “And why are ya laughing?” he asked the orange head.

“It’s kinda true, if you replace stupider with softer,” Shouyou pointed out, making the whole table—or at least the people who could hear—laugh out loud.

“What the hell, Sho!” Atsumu exclaimed, trying to suppress a laugh of his own at the way Shouyou tried to smother his, “Whose side are ya on anyway?” he added, removing his hands from the seeker.

“It’s fine, I still like you,” Shouyou slid on the bench closer to him to pat him on the chest.

“Naw, I’ll show y’all who’s soft,” Atsumu turned to walk out, “Get yer ass ready out here!” He called back to them, pointing to the training grounds.

“We have class, dumbass,” Osamu told him, not moving save to shake his head at his brother.

“You’re good at keeping him in check, Shouyou. I didn’t expect that,” Kenma noted, “I’ll leave you both my number for when you want me to come,” he added.

“Thanks, Kenma,” Shouyou said, then looked outside at Atsumu still stomping outside.

“Are ya really sure about him, Sho?” Osamu asked again, to which the shorter only chuckled at.

“Yeah,” he said, standing up, “Gotta make sure he doesn’t hurt himself,” he added, patting Osamu on the shoulder as he went to follow Atsumu.

 _Ridiculous, adorable Atsumu,_ he thought to himself, a small smile on his face.

“You do realize you don’t have to do this, right?” Shouyou asked as he caught up to the taller, still amused.

“Do what?” Atsumu replied hotly.

“ _Prove yerself_ with these ridiculous challenges that people know you’ll win anyway,” Shouyou answered, emphasizing the first two words by copying Atsumu’s accent.

“What? I _don’t_ know if I’ll win!” Atsumu sputtered, indignant.

“Plus it doesn’t really disprove that you’re soft,” Shouyou added, ruthless.

“Sho, c’mon, babe! Why’re ya pickin’ on me?” Atsumu snapped, finally upset, finally stopping his trek to the training grounds.

“I’m not, but you are,” Shouyou told him, softer this time, walking closer, “Soft ain’t an insult, ‘Tsumu. I like you being soft, especially ‘cause I know you’re only that way to me.” He smiled up at him with his wide wide eyes that were so honest, rendering Atsumu incapable of anything else but accepting the compliment.

“The others—” Atsumu started, grasping at straws.

“They’ve been your teammates for four years now. Don’t you think they know you by now?” Shouyou asked with a tilt to his head, dead serious.

“I—” the blonde had no words left.

“ _It’s okay, Atsumu,_ ” Shouyou stressed, willing him to accept it, “It’s okay to be vulnerable, it’s okay that you’re not tough all the time, it’s okay that you’re soft too,” he continued, wrapping his arms around the taller’s shoulders.

“I don’t know, Sho,” Atsumu whispered, voice hoarse. He wasn’t used to being called out like this, so simple but so raw.

“It’s okay,” Shouyou repeated, hugging him closer, and Atsumu went quiet.

 _Tooru really did teach him too much,_ Atsumu thought to himself.

**_[May]_ **

“Are ya done?” Atsumu asked as he went into the room—his and Osamu’s room, but they’ve given it up for Kenma and Shouyou to use and talk about strategy and mazes and whatever magical obstacles they can think up.

“Nope. If you’re just here to annoy us, then go away, ‘Tsumu,” Shouyou said, not looking at the blonde as he waved a hand in a shooing motion at Atsumu.

“Ya’ve been at it for almost four hours straight, now. It’s time to take a break. Ma’ll never let ya hear the end of it if you miss dinner,” Atsumu warned, squatting between them in front of the scattered papers of maze illustrations and magical creatures and some other things Atsumu couldn’t be bothered to identify.

“Shouyou got taken in with sphinxes and giant spiders,” Kenma said as if that explained everything, “He’s been on his best behavior yet,” he added, looking like a proud teacher.

“Okay, then the good student deserves a _break,_ ” Atsumu repeated, more forcefully this time, “Besides, it’s almost time for Kenma to go too. Tetsurou’s been nothin’ but boring, going on and on about social media and window shoppin’,” Atsumu said, rolling his eyes.

“Fiiiiine,” Shouyou whined, getting up from where he was lying on his stomach on the bedroom floor.

“The only interactions he’s had with muggles are with me. This is his first time out of our mirror towns, so go easy on him,” Kenma said in his straight voice, “Although he’s starting to imitate your accents, so not that easy,” he added with a small smile.

“Y’know I still don’t understand the whole mirror town thing,” Atsumu commented as they went to the living room where they could hear Tetsurou’s loud and (to Atsumu and Shouyou, at least) grating voice, “Ya mean to tell me wizarding villages lie on top of muggle ones? And nothing ever goes wrong?” he asked as they came into view.

“The wizarding one doesn’t lie _on top_ of the muggle one,” Tetsurou cut himself off from whatever he was telling Osamu to answer, “They’re just parallel worlds… I think it’s accurate to call them different dimensions, almost? Only in some places the two dimensions can interact?” he directed that question at Kenma who only nodded, sitting down on the couch beside him with a sigh.

“What happens when things get misplaced? Like, when a muggle wanders into a magic room or a muggle thing gets mixed in with the wizard dishes?” Atsumu followed up.

“Those are called clashes, and they’re few and far in between, so the system _makes sense_. So far the only lasting clash is… well, me, but Tetsurou’s family took responsibility for that,” Kenma spoke up then, “That’s how I got into Hogwarts, actually. I was so exposed to the wizard town that I picked up on the magic,” he added.

“Uwah, that’s so cool! It’s like you two are soulmates!” Shouyou gushed, “You met accidentally, but then after that you were inseparable,” he said, sitting beside the pudding head.

“Since when were ya a romantic, Sho?” Atsumu asked drily, crossing his arms in front of him.

“Asks the dumbass romantic,” Osamu coughed into a fist, making Rintarou and Kenma snicker.

“Shut yer trap, ‘Samu,” Atsumu warned, glaring at his brother.

“I’ve always been a romantic. You just make it too easy to make fun of you, ‘Tsumu,” Shouyou answered with a laugh.

“Ooooh, Shouyou’s got you there, Atsumu. It’s like seeing a different side of you, man,” Tetsurou goaded, also laughing.

“Ha! Says the guy who literally cried when Kenma told ya no when ya asked him to go to the Yule Ball,” Atsumu shot back.

“Oh, I remember that. He was so upset he didn’t even sleep in the room he shared with Kenma for like a week,” Rintarou contributed.

“Oh, you wanna go, you beanpole? I can name a dozen times you’ve smiled over the course of your relationship with Osamu,” Tetsurou challenged.

“That’s such a low bar, though,” Shouyou butted in, and all of them fell into giggles.

“I take it all the laughing means y’all’re ready t’ help me in the kitchen?” Akira Miya, Atsumu and Osamu’s mother, poked her head into the room to ask.

“Yes’m,” the twins said simultaneously, and the others behind them nodded, standing up to follow.

“Good. I need hands for cuttin’ up vegetables and moldin’ dumplings,” she said pleasantly enough, but the high schoolers knew there were no arguments when she put you to work.

“‘Samu, ya can make yer onigiris, but really son, ya have to learn how to branch out,” she added, and Osamu only sighed.

It had been like this for the past week: Tetsurou and Kenma would take the tube from Peterborough to Evesham, and Kenma would spend the afternoons trying to teach Shouyou about various things that they thought would help with the third task. Tetsurou would be a thorn in everybody’s side that only the matriarch of the Miya household could wrangle. The two would have dinner before they had to head back home, and it wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t help in making it too.

The past nights their food were from different origins; that first night being Italian, then Indian, then a mix of Filipino, Indonesian and Malaysian dishes, then Mexican, and the twins knew for the last night it’d be a mix of East Asian food.

“How do you _do_ this?” Rintarou was frustrated enough to ask Atsumu next to him, as he was having trouble with wrapping up a dumpling. It looked mangled, and he was starting to show signs of panic, frequently looking over his back at his boyfriend’s mother who was teaching Kenma and Shouyou how to cook all the vegetables at the stoves.

“Here, ya gotta hold it gently, Rin. Man, ‘Samu’s really gotta teach ya this stuff if ya wanna come back here,” Atsumu snorted as he took over, showing him how to close it off.

“What, like Shouyou’s doing any better?” Rintarou shot back.

“Shouyou’s adorable enough even for my Ma to get away with it. Yer not,” Atsumu snickered, elbowing the other beater.

“So what are you planning to do for the last week of break?” Tetsurou asked from across the counter as he was quietly wrapping up more dumplings.

“Dunno honestly. I just wanna get out of the house for a day. Seein’ ‘Samu and Rin over here is nauseatin’,” Atsumu shrugged, handing back the dumpling for Rintarou to add to his small pile.

“Atsumu, your brother walked in on you and Sho on the top bunk, you’ve got no room to talk,” Rintarou said, and Atsumu was about to erupt but Tetsurou interrupted.

“Kenma’s gonna take me to London,” the taller gushed, “Just the two of us this time. We’ll be there for an _entire week._ ”

“Mhm, good luck with that,” Atsumu told him drily, “Ya’ll be eaten alive lookin’ like a tourist in the city, and pretty sure Kenma’ll just throw ya to the wolves. M’gonna hafta ask him to take pictures,” he added, snickering with Rintarou.

“The hell are you saying, piss hair?” Tetsurou demanded.

“Nothin’ nothin’. Have fun,” Atsumu shook his head, trying to smother a full-on laugh.

“Just see, I’ll be having fun while you guys are stuck here in this little town,” Tetsurou told them, sulking.

“You do know I live there, right, Tetsurou?” Rintarou asked him, “I actually like it here. It feels like a _break,_ finally, unlike all those other holiday breaks at home where it’s all just politics,” he rolled his eyes, crushing another dumpling in the process and making the other two laugh.

“All finished?” Akira butted in, making them straighten up real quick. She tsked when she saw the ruined dumpling in Rintarou’s hand.

“‘Samu, come help Rin over here. He’s still havin’ trouble with the wrappin’,” she said, and the twins switched places, Osamu taking up the space on the other side of the Slytherin beater.

“Wow, Akira-san, how are you so fine with your sons having _boyfriends_ ,” Tetsurou asked, “Back at my place, it took my folks literally fifteen years to give up on pushing girls on me, not even being tolerant or accepting,” he went on, looking as if he was talking about something innocuous like the weather.

 _This asshole is gonna get it,_ Atsumu thought to himself, smirking.

“Well y’see, when yer children end up being part of a whole other world ya didn’t even know existed, everythin’ else pales in comparison,” Akira said pleasantly, “Besides, I raised my sons t’be _good,_ no matter who they end up with. I still think they need a bit of more work, but Rin and Sho over here would tell me if I needed t’ take drastic measures, eh?” she bumped her shoulder against Rintarou, smiling, and it made shivers go up Tetsurou’s spine. It was Atsumu’s smile, entirely innocent that he just knew it was anything but. It was the smile Atsumu would sometimes shoot an opponent, full of threat as he held the beater’s club.

“Are you adopting?” Tetsurou blurted out, making the older cackle, and Atsumu reached over to smack him in the back of the head.

“Yer a sweet one, Tetsurou, but no,” Akira said, tapping him lightly on the cheek as she went to go check on the Kenma, Hinata and Atsumu’s progress.

“Okay, things are finishin’ ‘ere, so clean up the table and set it,” she announced, puttering around the stoves some more as she shooed the three away.

“Their mom is so cool,” Tetsurou whispered to Kenma, but all the others could hear.

“I regret you,” was all Kenma told him.

“This is really good, Akira-san,” Tetsurou said later as they were eating the bibimbap.

“‘Course it is. How d’ya think Ma’s restaurant got so big?” Atsumu asked, but Akira only shushed him.

“Oh, do continue,” Akira told him, steepling her fingers to rest her chin on as she leaned on the table to stare at the Slytherin chaser.

“Ma, yer fishin’ fer compliments again,” Osamu said mildly, taking a bite of a dumpling.

“So?” Akira asked him, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothin’,” he said quickly, making Atsumu snort and the others giggle.

“Say, ‘Tsumu, what _are_ we gonna do for the next week?” Shouyou spoke up, having just finished his plate.

“Whatever we want, Sho,” Atsumu told him with a grin.

“Okay well, I wanna run around town!” Shouyou told him before getting up to get seconds.

“Why do I have a feelin’ he meant that?” Atsumu asked the table, staring after the ginger.

“He probably does,” Kenma told him with a smirk.

“Good luck,” Rintarou deadpanned.

“Ya know my rules, ‘Tsumu,” was all Akira said before standing up and leaving them at the dinner table.

“Ain’t me,” Osamu said immediately, along with Rintarou, Kenma, and Tetsurou.

“Fuck y’all,” Atsumu muttered, “Finish eatin’ then. M’not gonna wait for yer plates,” he added, stomping towards the sink.

“I can help,” Shouyou volunteered, joining him.

“Ya don’t hafta do that,” Atsumu told him, suspicious.

“Thanks for volunteering, Atsumu,” Tetsurou butted in, leaving his dishes in the sink, followed quickly by the others.

“I hope ya get lost in the Tube,” Atsumu told him hotly.

“Hey, yer the one who said ya wanted to get out of the house,” Osamu said with an amused grin, clapping him on the back, “Looks like Rin and I got the room to ourselves for once.”

“Thanks for having us over,” Kenma interrupted their bickering, waving from the kitchen entrance.

“M’looking forward to those pictures, Kenma,” Atsumu called out to him.

“I’ll be the one getting them,” Shouyou spoke up, starting in on cleaning up.

“Yeah, but ya’ll share them with me, right?” Atsumu said.

“Depends,” Shouyou hummed.

“On what?” Atsumu paused to look at the shorter, his suspicion going up another notch.

“I wanna go out and _explore_ tomorrow! It’s been a week, ‘Tsumu, I’m feeling antsy. I still don’t know my way around here!” Shouyou exploded, and now Atsumu could see how much it bothered the other.

Okay, okay, Sho. I’ll show ya around. Didn’t know it was bothering ya this much. Mind tellin’ me why?” Atsumu asked.

“I can’t even answer that, I just _have_ to map out every new place I visit,” Shouyou shrugged, and Atsumu left it at that.

“‘Tsumu, ‘Tsumu, ‘Tsumu, wake up! It’s time to go!” Sho jumped on him the next morning.

“Who the hell gave ya coffee?” Atsumu groaned out, batting him off.

“No one, I didn’t drink coffee,” Shoyou told him immediately, still bouncing on his legs.

“Gimme a minute, Sho. Lemme wake up, geez,” Atsumu said, covering his eyes with an arm. He could hear snickering from under the bed but chose to ignore it in favor of a few more minutes of peace. As he predicted though, it didn’t last.

“‘Tsumuuuuuuuuuu,” Shouyou needled, and the blonde sighed and sat up.

“Fine, okay, Sho. I’m up, m’up,” he mumbled, sitting up and blinking against the brightness that is Shouyou’s smile at him.

“C’mon get ready! I’ve been awake for about an hour now, and your Mom’s been putting me to work. I just escaped,” Shouyou told him, jumping down from the top bunk and pulling the taller boy along.

“Mornin’, Sho,” Osamu greeted, just having woken up himself, “Where’s Rin?” he asked.

“I left him asleep in the other room,” Shouyou answered, eyes on Atsumu.

“Yer still gonna hafta help Ma around while I get ready,” Atsumu pointed out, a soft smile forming on his face as Shouyou pouted.

“Fine, but ya better make it worth my while today, ‘Tsumu,” the ginger said, pushing him towards their bathroom and disappearing to presumably help his boyfriend’s mother.

When Atsumu had eaten a light breakfast and they were both ready to go, Akira stopped them at the door.

“You know my rules, ‘Tsumu,” she said, ruffling both of their heads.

“Yes, Ma. Be careful, don’t give anyone a reason to egg the house, and come home before curfew,” Atsumu recited, making Shouyou giggle.

“Egg the house?” the seeker questioned with a laugh.

“Believe me when I say it’s necessary,” Akira told him seriously, then shooed them out of the house.

“So, where d’ya wanna go first?” Atsumu asked, stretching his arms up as they walked away.

“I’ve wanted to go to your Mom’s restaurant for the past week, y’know,” Shouyou told him, frowning at the blonde.

“We’re going now, aren’t we?” Atsumu asked him, but Shouyou noticed the nervous tension in the taller boy’s shoulders.

“What’s there that you don’t want me to see, huh?” Shouyou asked teasingly, not really trying to push.

“W-what makes ya think there’s something I don’t wantcha to see?” Atsumu shot back, side-eyeing the seeker.

“Oh, there’s something,” Shouyou just hummed, putting his hands in his pockets, “Stop dragging your feet and hurry up so we can get over it already,” he added, smirking when Atsumu sighed.

“I’m gonna kick the crap outta Tooru when we get back,” Atsumu muttered, reaching the restaurant in no time; it was only a few blocks away from his house after all.

“What are you so worried about, ‘Tsumu?” Shouyou was curious, pushing through the front door first.

There was a jingle of chimes as they went in, and they were immediately greeted by someone.

“Good mornin’ to y’all, and welcome to—oh Atsumu! Haven’t seen ya here a while! Come in, come in,” said a boy with almost entirely white hair save for his tips.

“Hi, Shin. I’ve just been a bit busy, is all,” Atsumu greeted back awkwardly, wrapping his arms around Shouyou’s shoulders, “This is Shouyou, he’s my boyfriend.”

“Ah,” Shinsuke nodded to the shorter, “I take it he’s someone from that super exclusive high school of yers?”

“Nice to meet you, Shin!” Shouyou beamed at their host, holding out his hand to shake.

“Likewise. But it’s Shinsuke,” he told Shouyou, shaking his hand.

“Yeah, I met him at school. M’just here to show him around, mostly,” Atsumu said, stepping around him further into the restaurant.

“Far be it fer me to get in the way of my employer’s son,” Shinsuke agreed, letting them go.

“Huh. So that’s what you were so worried about,” Shouyou commented as they walked away.

“It’s always hit or miss with him. That’s the first time he broke his poker face with me,” Atsumu told the shorter with a shudder, “Other than Ma, he’s the only other person I’m scared of,” he admitted.

“So what’s the deal with _yer super exclusive high school_ and him?” Shouyou asked, copying the way Shinsuke said it.

“I’ll tell ya when we’re out of the place he runs for Ma,” Atsumu muttered.

They went to the kitchens where Atsumu introduced him to the morning staff, trying not to get in their way.

“Hey, it’s ‘Tsumu! Who ya got there, huh?” Yuuto said when he saw them, “He’s cute.”

“He’s Shouyou, and he’s _mine,_ so back off, Yuuto,” Atsumu said darkly, glaring at the busboy, wanting to put a possessive hand on Shouyou just to drive the point home.

“Whoa, there, ‘Tsumu, cool yer horses down, huh?” Aran chuckled at him, “Don’t go startin’ fights in my kitchen. Ya know he didn’t mean anythin’ by it,” he added, walking around the ginger.

“Still, best to be clear,” Atsumu said ominously, keeping his eyes on his boyfriend.

Shouyou seemed to be very taken in by the kitchen processes, and he asked a million questions about what the staff does with seemingly every single thing. Atsumu let him roam for a moment, nodding to staff and customers alike who were familiar to him.

 _Guess being around Ma gave him some interest in cooking,_ Atsumu thought to himself, getting incredibly fond of the seeker.

“Hey, Sho. They need to work, y’know, and we have some other places we’re going to, remember?” Atsumu called out after some time.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot. I got used to Akira-san in the kitchen, and she always let me mess around and ask questions,” Shouyou exclaimed to the staff, scratching at the back of his head.

“It’s fine, it’s fine! You’re not too much of a bother,” Aran assured him, and Atsumu could only roll his eyes; he knew what was coming next.

“How about I give you boys some lunch?” Aran offered, looking at Atsumu for confirmation.

“Sure, thanks, Aran,” Atsumu accepted, pulling the shorter boy outside of the kitchen to sit at his usual table.

“I take it Aran offered you lunch?” Shinsuke asked as he passed by.

“Yep, then we’ll be outta yer hair,” Atsumu nodded, drumming his fingers on the table.

“Oh, there’s no rush, Take all the time ya need. It’s what ya’ve always done, anyway,” Shinsuke told him pleasantly enough, but Shouyou could detect the underlying bitterness in the host.

“Seriously, what is _up_ with that guy?” the seeker couldn’t help but whisper.

“It’s nothin’. We were friends back in elementary, but ever since I went to Hogwarts he thinks I’m posin’, thinks I’m not bein’ me,” Atsumu told him dismissively, eyeing the kitchen doors.

“Why? Were you so different in elementary school?” Shouyou asked.

“Let’s just say my Slytherin streak was manifestin’ even before I knew I was a wizard,” Atsumu grinned at him.

“So you changed. How is that such a bad thing?” Shouyou was confused, staring at Shinsuke with furrowed eyebrows.

“Don’t even think about askin’ him, Sho. It’s a small town, there are always people like him,” Atsumu shrugged, and he was grateful for their food arriving, “Which is why I don’t get why you wanna go around to see everythin’ when there’s nothin’ to see.”

“I just wanna see the place you grew up in, that’s all,” Shouyou answered simply, digging into his food.

“But why?” Atsumu followed up, practically inhaling his usual order of fatty tuna over fried rice.

“Is it bad that I want to get to know my boyfriend more? Why are you so against it, ‘Tsumu? You’ve been so against it for the past week!” Shouyou snapped, now turning his frown on the blonde.

Atsumu blinked at Shouyou, freezing in the act of taking another bite. He never thought of it the way Shouyou put it, and now he could see how much he overlooked it.

“I—I’m sorry, babe. It’s just, I don’t really see this place as something a part of me, I guess?” Atsumu tried explaining, not really understanding what he was saying.

“You know, ‘Tsumu, your perception on the field is amazing, but how come that’s not the case for literally everything else in your life?” Shouyou asked, lightening up with a laugh.

“Hey, I think I do pretty good with you,” Atsumu defended himself, a startled laugh escaping before he could put on an annoyed front.

“Okay, that’s one part, but everything else other than quidditch and me,” Shouyou amended, “Seriously, you don’t think this town is a part of you when your accent came from here? Or is it because of the _Dirty Twins_ thing?” he asked, suddenly turning serious, and once again Atsumu froze.

“Didn’t think you knew about that,” Atsumu cleared his throat, chuckling nervously.

“Is that why you haven’t talked about it with me?” Shouyou asked gently, staring at the other, seeing the pained lines around his eyes.

“What do you want me to say, Sho? It’s not like I can deny it. It’s not like I can change anythin’ about it, too. It’s just—it’s just _there_ , and it’s not going away anytime soon, so why talk about it and give it more power over me, right?” Atsumu shrugged again, trying—and failing—to seem casual about the subject.

“I know you talk about it with ‘Samu, though. Why can’t you talk about it with me?” the ginger followed up, pushing further than he’s ever gone with Atsumu before.

“M’gonna kill ‘Samu, I swear to fuckin’ god. That asshole never knows when to—” Atsumu muttered to himself.

“Not the point, ‘Tsumu,” Shouyou interrupted, “I wanna know why you think I’m not supposed to know things about you, especially the not-so-nice ones,” he asked again, firmly this time.

“Sho…” Atsumu sighed, leaning his forehead on the table, “I just don’t think it’s worth talkin’ about, that’s all,” he mumbled.

“Nope! You talk to ‘Samu, so that’s not it,” Shouyou immediately replied, shaking his head when Atsumu peeked at him, “If you don’t want to tell me it’s fine, but I just wanna _understand_ ‘Tsumu,” he implored, once again with that puppy dog look, and Atsumu only sighed, knowing he’s going to give in.

“Alright Sho, ya win,” Atsumu put down his head again, preferring to not look at the ginger when he bared his soul to him, “I just don’t like talkin’ about it ‘cause yer not ‘Samu and yer not a twin and yer not a fuckin’ _mudblood_ , okay? People don’t understand those things, and I just don’t wanna go through that can o’ worms with ya if ya didn’t get it. My heart won’t be able to take it if ya didn’t understand, Sho,” he said in one breath, whispering the last sentence.

“That’s… unfair, ‘Tsumu,” Shouyou eventually said, pushing aside his plate so he could get closer the blonde, “You never even gave me a chance.”

The simplicity of the sentence tore through Atsumu, making him look up again to see Shouyou was staring right back at him, his expression hurt.

“I get that you’re scared, but you could’ve at least asked me first. I’m not a mudblood, but my mother was,” Shouyou pointed out, and Atsumu finally sat up, reaching for the shorter boy’s hands on the table, “I can understand more than most,” Shouyou added, gripping his hands.

“I’m sorry,” Atsumu said immediately, “I’m so sorry, Sho, I didn’t think about that. It’s just that yer so loved, people’re willing to ignore that fact about ya. They don’t give me the same courtesy, so I thought ya wouldn’t know how it was. I’m so sorry,” Atsumu repeated, squeezing at Shouyou’s hand as if to souse the shorter boy with his sincerity.

“You can make it up to me by opening up,” Shouyou mumbled, a cheeky smile forming when Atsumu laughed in relief.

“It’s not pretty, Sho,” Atsumu warned after a while.

“I already know that. You think you’ll scare me away, ‘Tsumu? The only things I’ve run away from so far are that big ass snake in the Forbidden Forest and the Hungarian Horntail. Got something as huge as those?” Shouyou challenged, winking.

“Are you sure?” Atsumu whispered, amazed at how Shouyou was so ready for anything—even him.

“Give it your best shot, ‘Tsumu. I’m not scared, and I’m not gonna run away,” Shouyou reassured him, standing up.

“Huh, okay. I am, though, not gonna lie,” Atsumu said, still with that disbelieving laugh as he also stood up.

“I think it’ll be fine, ‘Tsumu,” Shouyou hummed. As he turned around, he almost bumped into Shinsuke who had started for their table the moment Shouyou stood up.

“Was somethin’ not to yer liking? You always finish yer food, ‘Tsu—Atsumu,” he pointed out, tripping over his nickname.

“Sorry, Shin, have somethin’ else to do. Say, d’ya know where Jimmy and the rest of your gang hangs around these days?” Atsumu asked in a rush, having just gotten an idea as he looked at the host.

“They’re at the same place we used to hang out, why d’ya ask?” Shinsuke asked warily.

“No reason, just wanted t’ steer clear of them today. Thanks, Shin!” Atsumu waved at him as he walked out the door with his boyfriend.

“Gang?” Shouyou asked lightly enough, but Atsumu could hear the underlying wariness in his voice.

“As much as things like that can exist in a place like this, yeah,” Atsumu answered with the same lightness.

“And did I just hear him say ‘where _we_ used to hang out?’” Shouyou quoted, stressing the _we._

“Yep,” Atsumu answered, not looking at the ginger, “I used to run around with them, get into trouble. Shin was sorta like my mentor then,” Atsumu rambled, guiding the shorter boy towards the part of town he never wanted to go to again.

“Huh, _him?_ You mean to tell me your mom hired someone you used to get in trouble with?” Shouyou asked, skeptical.

“He’s _terrifyingly_ proper when he wants to be, the two-faced basterd,” Atsumu chuckled, “In Ma’s eyes Shin can do no wrong, which was hilarious when he’d defend me before… but now it’s just unfair when he throws me under the bus.”

“What do you mean, throw you under the bus?” Shouyou followed up, “Thought you said you guys fell out?”

“We did, and that’s when he started throwing me under the bus,” Atsumu agreed, “He started telling Ma about the shit we got up to, and how I usually had ‘Samu to save me. He got really bitter after I went to Hogwarts,” he explained.

“Why do I have a feeling it’s not just ‘cause you went to Hogwarts?” Shouyou wondered out loud, eyeing the way the further they walked, the decrepit worsened around them.

“What do you mean?” Atsumu asked nervously, psyching himself up for another one of the seeker’s direct questions.

“I dunno it’s just a feeling but… is he an ex?” Shouyou was side-eyeing him, smirking when he saw Atsumu sigh.

“Really can’t hide anythin’ from ya, can I?” Atsumu asked, draping an arm around the ginger’s shoulders and giving him a noogie.

“‘Tsumu, quit it! You can’t do that just ‘cause I’m short!” Shouyou was screaming.

“Oi is that ya, Miya?! Who ya got there? Another one of yer bitches?” A voice ahead of them exclaimed, rendering them to a stop.

“Nah, _James._ I think yer confusing that cheatin’ girlfriend of yers for other people again,” Atsumu said in kind, tightening his hold on Shouyou.

“What the fuck did ya say?!” Jimmy, Shouyou thought, needed to lower his aggression down a notch. He was stomping his way towards them, and Shouyou could feel Atsumu tensing up, could feel him slip into focus—the calm before the storm.

“‘Course she might be cheatin’ ‘cause yer doin’ her and Ericka too,” Atsumu continued, smile and eyes sharp as he stared at the other.

“Who the fuck let him in on our street?” a new voice spoke up from behind them, and Shouyou whirled around even if Atsumu didn’t.

“Hiya, Ren,” Atsumu drawled lazily, still staring at Jimmy, “Didja hear what I said?” he asked, grin getting wider.

“Ya think ya can just show up here again with that bullshit and start callin’ me James?! Ya got a lot of nerve, Miya,” James—or Jimmy, as he apparently wanted to be called—spat out, saliva flying at them.

“What else’ve ya known me for, James? Nerve’s all I got, and ya know exactly how far that’s gotten me,” Atsumu replied, wiping away some spit that was on his way with a thumb, teeth glinting as he grinned at the other.

“That it? Let’s see how much nerve ya got, ya arsehole,” Jimmy pulled him closer by the collar, making Shouyou jump in surprise, readying to jump in.

“This basterd’s as cocky as ever huh? How about we teach ‘im a lesson, huh Jimmy?” Ren threatened, also ganging up on Atsumu.

“Careful, there y’guys. Last I heard, I still got Shin’s protection,” Atsumu murmured, not doing anything but show that cocky, infuriating grin of his as he stared at Jimmy straight in the eyes.

“So what? Ya think I’m scared of Shin? Ya hidin’ behind his skirt now?!” Jimmy shot back, and Shouyou could see a vein in his forehead was ready to pop.

Ren moved to grab at Atsumu’s hair, and just like that the Slytherin beater moved lightning-quick, dodging under the hand even as he took hold of it, using his momentum to drag Ren down to the ground, pushing his knee into the shoulder joint and grinding down, making the other scream in pain.

“Now ya know I ain’t like that, James, but how about ya? Still piss and wind? Wanna try to get yer _friend_ here free?” Atsumu taunted as Ren struggled under him.

“Fuck ya, Atsumu! Ya think just ‘cause ya got into a big fancy school, yer better than us? One of these days Shin’s gonna get ya outta his system, then yer dead!” Jimmy screamed, backing away.

“Yeah, I can’t wait fer that day, James! I really can’t!” Atsumu called out after him, “Then I can finally bash yer face in,” he muttered to himself, standing up.

“Is it true?” Ren asked him, kneeling on the ground.

“What is?” Atsumu replied, straightening up his clothes.

“Him and Ericka?” the other clarified, finally standing up as well, stretching his arm.

“Every word, man,” Atsumu answered, reaching out a fist for him to bump, “Sorry ‘bout that man, but ya had it comin’,” he added, this time apologetic.

“I’m gonna fuck him up,” Ren muttered to himself, bumping his fist and walking after James.

“What the hell was that?” Shouyou demanded when they’re finally alone, recovering from the shock of how easily Atsumu manhandled the taller Ren.

“Sorry ‘bout that Sho. Didn’t think Ren’d show up,” Atsumu said, pulling him towards the street exit.

“Still doesn’t explain what the fuck just happened,” Shouyou said, voice hot as he let himself be pulled along.

“Ya asked me how bad it was, and _that_ wasn’t even that bad. It’s just a normal pissing contest with them,” Atsumu explained with a shrug, hoping they won’t run into any more people.

“And you used to run with them? And what do you mean, you got Shinsuke’s protection?” Shouyou asked, still confused.

“That was a bluff. I knew James wouldn’t wanna challenge that, but like I said, didn’t think Ren’d show up. Feel bad fer the guy, really,” Atsumu huffed out a laugh, jumping into the first alley he saw, “Man that was exciting,” he exclaimed as he turned his grin towards the shorter boy.

“What the fuck? You get off on that?” Shouyou laughed against his will, staring at Atsumu like he was crazy.

“Don’t tell me the prospect of a good fight doesn’t just get your blood pumpin’?” Atsumu asked, still breathless with the exhilaration of it all.

“No?” Shouyou was laughing now along with him, the relief and the elation obvious in Atsumu’s jumps and laughs affecting him as well.

“Think of it like flying,” Atsumu stopped in front of him to say, his face bright and charming as he smiled so openly for the seeker, “Think of it like chasing the snitch and then the rush ya get when ya finally _do,_ ” Atsumu was almost imploring, and Shouyou imagined it, sighing when he finally got what Atsumu was feeling.

“Wow, that’s something, alright,” Shouyou said after a while, smiling up at the blonde.

“Right?! Man, I almost miss it,” Atsumu said offhandedly, back with his excited hops.

“How about we stick to quidditch, huh? That way you don’t get beaten up, at least,” Shouyou said drily, this time pulling the beater along as he walked out of the alley.

“Heh, ya sound like ‘Samu,” Atsumu told him, all too happy that Shouyou was taking the situation in stride.

“Not surprised. Is that all you’ve got to show me?” Shouyou looked back at him to ask.

“How about we save the other times for later and just enjoy the rest of the day? I enjoy that, but m’not stupid enough to go looking for it,” Atsumu said, cowed.

“Sure, ‘Tsumu,” Shouyou laughed, then he started running, tugging Atsumu after him.

The rest of the week went like that, helping around the house in the morning then going out to explore the parts of town that influenced Atsumu in some way, all the while bickering back and forth. It was light and carefree and exactly the break that Atsumu wanted and Shouyou needed. It was a break where they just enjoyed each other’s presence, falling further in love in the background.

As Atsumu boarded the train that would take them back to Hogwarts and the whirlwind of the Triwizard Tournament, annoying journalists, and the danger that was looming over his boyfriend, he couldn’t help but think _I just hope the stolen time we got wouldn’t end here._

**_[June]_ **

“‘Tsumu, ya gotta take care of yerself too,” Osamu’s tone was disapproving as he stared at his twin folded into a chair in the hospital wing.

“Ya know I can’t do that, ‘Samu, not until I know he’ll be okay,” Atsumu answered quietly, unable to put any more effort into his words more than just a mumble.

“He will be, ya dumbass. Doctors say he’s gonna wake up soon. D’ya think he’s gonna wanna wake up to yer shoddy unshowered ass?” the Gryffindor chaser shot back, “Tell him, Natsu.”

“‘Samu’s right, ‘Tsumu,” the first year’s small voice spoke up, “I can stay here for a bit so you can get some rest and food,” she offered.

“I just—guys, I can’t. I just _can’t._ Don’t make me leave him,” Atsumu begged them, looking up to show his blood-shot eyes strained from lack of sleep.

Osamu just sighed, finally giving up on persuading his brother to move.

“Fine, I’ll go get some food. Don’t do anything stupid, ‘Tsumu,” he warned, walking away when Atsumu nodded.

“‘Tsumu, he’s really gonna tear into you when he wakes up,” Natsu mumbled across from him.

“I don’t care. Let him do that just as long as he wakes up to even _be able_ to do it,” Atsumu answered, and they fell into silence.

 _Wake up, Sho,_ Atsumu once again thought to himself, the same thought that’s been haunting his mind ever since Asahi and Shouyou portkeyed back to the maze entrance, looking half-dead.

He has been useless ever since then, leaving the investigating to Osamu and the others while he sat beside the seeker. He’d care about what happened later; seek revenge, take out his anger on something else later, he knew. He just needed to be here more, close to the shorter boy.

 _I know you’ll be okay, but I can’t rest easy while you’re just in bed still unconscious. Please, just wake up,_ he silently begged.

**Author's Note:**

> Miya Akira's name in Kanji is 朗宮 which can be broken down to  
> 
> 
>   * Akira (朗) - _bright, clear, cheerful_
>   * Miya (宮) - _Shrine_
> 

> 
> Like I said before, this is part of a bigger series that I'm working on, so I know there are some parts that might be confusing or that might not make sense, but I hope it's cohesive enough to hold together as a oneshot. I really enjoyed writing this one, and I hope you liked it!   
>   
> Come check out my [twitter](https://twitter.com/yadoiAnghel) if you want to keep up with the creation process of this AU.


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